Combat Medic 5k Run

Saturday morning this week found Dad, Kathryn, Jason, and Levi getting up early and headed to Ft. Huachuca for the Combat Medic 5k Run.  Dad wasn’t feeling good, so he did not run, but it was great to have him there for moral support and to take pictures!

All ready to go!

 

Starting off

 

Jason, just before crossing the finish line.

 

Kathryn coming across the finish.  Her goal was to (1) finish and (2) run the whole way with no walking.  She did both!  .

 

Levi pushed hard and finished the race in about 35 minutes.  Considering that he hasn’t run regularly since Kwaj, he did amazing!

After race photo.  We all made it!

 

If we get specific times for each runner, we will update the post!

Keeping Busy

That has been what we have been doing, keeping busy!

Mom and Kathryn both participated in the CrossFit Open this year, which was an incredible experience.  It was five workouts over five weeks.  We will know the results of The Open on Monday of next week and I will put up another post sometime next week!

Dad and Mom also went to San Antonio for a week, leaving the children by themselves!  (Dad had a class and drove instead of flying so that Mom could go with him.)  Thankfully, Mom and Kathryn planned meals and went shopping before they left.  Reuben and Jason were amazing and made most of the meals during the week and kept the kitchen clean with Josiah and Levi’s help.  They were incredible!

Jason and Reuben are still playing soccer.  The season got extended for a few more weeks.  That made them very happy.  After that is a playoff / tournament.

Spring has definitely arrived in Arizona.  The bugs have come out, as we can see by our car windshields getting filthy very, very quickly.  It has also been in the 70s almost every day.  Even though we spent time in the tropics, that is still a weird thing for these Alaskans!

Have a wonderful Resurrection Weekend!

Soccer Games

The night soccer games lately have been a bit on the chilly side.  Thankfully, we know how to dress for the cooler weather!

Levi just booted the ball towards the other team’s goal.  He is the one in the yellow hat.  You can just see the ball as a blur on the right hand side of the photo!

Josiah did a throw in right next to us, and I managed to get the phone out to take a video!

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Sun, Wind, Rain, and Snow (Not Necessarily in that Order…)

Yes, you read that title correctly, “Sun, Wind, Rain, and Snow (Not Necessarily in that Order)”.  That was our day today!

It started out with rain and sunshine together this morning, which lead to a gorgeous double rainbow above the mountains!

Part of the double rainbow…

…more of the double rainbow.

On the way to work I pulled over and took this photo.

I went to work and the rain stopped.  Then the temperature dropped.  And dropped.  And went below freezing.  While it was dropping, it started to rain again.  After a while, the rain turned to snow!  The Merrymon family was super excited, but I think we were probably the only ones!

Little pieces of snow on my arm!

They actually had some snow stick on the ledges on the back porch at the house.  Levi took it, made a snowball, and then threw it at Reuben.  Here is a video of the snow coming down outside our house!  The snow is kind of hard to see, but I promise it is there.

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During the rain and snow, the wind also varied in speed from almost nonexistent up to gusts of 45 miles per hour.  The crazy wind continued even after the snow stopped falling from the sky.  This is a video that I took from the office at work.  The noise is actually the wind!

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Once the snow stopped, as the wind continued, the sun came out bright and beautiful again.  You could even see snow on the mountains!  (Although I fully expect it to be gone by tomorrow afternoon…)

You can barely see it in the photo, but there is snow on that mountain!

The sun came out bright and beautiful towards the end of the day!

All in all, a super crazy weather day!

Shooting

This weekend found Dad, Kathryn, and Jason headed to the shooting range with Jason’s group from youth group.  They opened it up to family members too, and really, who needs much of an excuse to go to the shooting range?  Not us!

Headed down the road to the range.

Different people brought different guns.  Jason got to shoot a .22 rifle and pistol, plus a 9mm pistol, and another gun that he couldn’t remember.  Dad and I shot our own guns, plus I got to shoot the .22 pistol.  It was great to get to shoot again, since it has been over two years since any of us have shot.

Jason saved at least one shell from every gun that he shot.

But the most interesting gun by far was the Mosin Nagant, the Russian equivalent of the US .30-6.  Jason and I both got to shoot it, and it was a lot of fun to shoot.

One of the funniest moments of the morning was when I sent Mom a picture of Jason shooting.  She then showed it to Reuben who said, “He looks like a real boy!”

This is the photo that made Reuben say that Jason looked like a real boy.

Jason firing a .22 pistol.

We’re Alive!

Wow, it is hard to believe that over a month has passed since I posted on here!  This month has just flown by.  We’ve been very busy with soccer for the boys, the gym for Dad, Mom, and I, plus taking a class to allow us to lead a small group, helping lead worship, and life in general.  Let me catch you up on the last month by subject matter…

Warning: Due to the long time between posts, this post has turned out to be rather lengthy…

Soccer:

We have had an average of three games a week, plus at least two or three practices every week for Reuben, at least one, sometimes two for Josiah and Levi, and then one every couple of weeks for Jason.  There have been a few times where Mom and I both have to drive to the soccer fields so that Josiah and Levi can get home and get to bed when Jason or Reuben have a late game.  

Jason’s last game was October 31.  He had a decent season (his words), and enjoyed playing.  

Reuben had a game the morning before Jason’s, and so while we were waiting for Jason’s game to start, Reuben was showing ‘Siah and Levi how to stretch.  I sneakily took photos.

Jason is on the right, playing defense.

Jason about to clear the ball.

Jason on defense (again).  He mostly played defense, although he played midfield some.

Reuben, Josiah, and Levi still have soccer going on, and are all enjoying it.  Reuben has played sweeper every game.  Being that the is one of the biggest in his league, the sweeper’s job of being intimidating doesn’t take much work for him!

CrossFit and the Gym:

Dad, Mom, and I have been continuing to work out regularly.  We all continue to enjoy it, and enjoy pushing each other to do better.  It takes up time, but it is worth it!

Hiking:

While we haven’t been able to hike as much as I would like, due to Saturday soccer games, Josiah, Levi, and I took advantage of a soccer-less Saturday and went hiking a last weekend.  We took Clark Spring Trail from Miller Canyon Road over to Carr Canyon Road.  It was a beautiful hike, with fantastic views of the valley. 

Towards the start of our hike I made Levi and Josiah stop for a photo with the valley in the background.

There were some really pretty flowers along the way too.

For a little while it looked like we would go up on top of these rocks, but the path turned another direction.

A different view of the valley.

At the end of the trail there were some rocks that we sat on and had a snack.  A friend that went with us took the photo.

This is the trail that we took.  There was another trail up there that branched off that we will have to try sometime too.

The boys enjoyed climbing on rocks beside the trail.  I just told them they had to let me take photos.

Life in General:

Somehow life always keeps us busy, and sometimes along the way, funny things happen!  Sometimes they are photo worthy, sometimes not, but here are some random funny happening from the last month!

Steeler’s Nation really is everywhere.

Sometimes one soccer game that started at 5:30pm is canceled due to lightning hitting within 10 miles of the field, and then it starts to hail as you run to the truck.  Then the game that starts at 7:00pm still happens because it has been over 30 minutes since the lightning strike!

Other times you drive through  crazy rain storm as you leave the house, and when you get to church you can look back and see what you drove through.

Dad’s birthday was last month, and we enjoyed celebrating it.  The funniest part about these table settings was that I bought them on sale while we were back on Kwaj!

Sometimes you see cute little lizard/salamander things outside of your windows.

Sometimes the boys decide to make cookies and be silly while they do.

Sometimes hot chocolate is necessary to make it through the later soccer games.

Sometimes you need sweatshirts and blankets to go with the hot chocolate!

Sometimes you just have to pull over and stop to take a picture of the sunset.

Reuben also had a birthday this month, but with how crazy things were, he had to wait almost a week to get his cake!  He was very patient and understanding about having to wait.

And that has been a brief glimpse into the craziness of our lives!

Cars in the Park

We started seeing adds for the Cars in the Park Car Show the week that we got to Sierra Vista.

I hadn’t been to a car show since we went to a VW one when Jason and Reuben were still little, and I was excited to go to another one.  The boys were excited to go and look at lots of different cars too.  Here were some of our favorites, the ones we found amusing, some that brought back memories, and others that we just found interesting.

We started seeing cars even before we went into the park!

The Fire Department was there with Engine 1.  There was a wooden ladder on the truck that the fire fighter there said took three men to set up, because it was so heavy.

Although they are a little hard to see in the photo, but Levi was fascinated by the actual horns under the hood of this old car.

Mom laughed when she saw this car.  Apparently it looks like the one that she went to prom in!

Many of the cars had signs that were some variation of “Look, but don’t touch”.  This one was our favorite.

The boys found the car with hydraulics really interesting.

They thought is was even cooler when Dad pointed out the switches that control the hydraulics with!

Levi loves the color yellow.  This was the first of the yellow cars that he found  at the show.

There was lots of yellow on the inside of the car too!

Reuben was interested in finding the oldest cars possible.

This was the first old one that he found, a 1929 Ford “A” Tudor.

The Police Department was also there, with the first motor vehicle ever owned by the City of Sierra Vista!

It was a 1955 Ford F-100 pick-up truck, purchased by the city in 1957.  Originally yellow, it was purchased for $1,045 and the terms of the sale were “no money down” and “Pay when you can” according to the City Council meeting minutes!

There was also an old Police Telegraph next to the truck.

Josiah took one look at the front of this Chevy and said, “It looks like it should shoot missiles!”

Another of Reuben’s old car finds, this one was from 1931.

Right next to it was a car from 1930.

Levi took one look at the back seat and said, “That would be my seat!”  And he is right, because he is the only one that could fit!

Not all of the cars were older.  This was a beautiful 2013 Mini Cooper.

This Mustang was the same age as Mom.

Yes, that is a DeLorean!

This was the most impressive car there to me.  A 1941 Ford V8 with all original paint and interior!

It still had a gas ration stamp from World War II on the  review mirror.

The interior was still in fantastic shape.

The boys really liked the sun shade on this Mustang.

Pontiac Trans Am.  Cool!

Why yes, yes that is a Steeler’s themed car!  It was beautiful.  (Minus the Halloween decorations…)

Examining the details.  yes, there really are Steeler’s symbols in the engine compartment.

He found it!  The oldest car at the show!  A 1915 Model T Ford.  (That is what the sign said at least!)

This was just a beautiful truck.

Jason and Reuben liked the swivel seats in this car.

To my friends who are Green Bay Packers Fans, this photo and the next one are for you.

Dad and Mom had a friend back in Michigan who had one of these.

Mom really liked this car.

Another yellow car!

The first in the line of VWs.

“Studebaker.  That is just a fun word to say.” – Reuben

The last yellow car that we saw.  As we were taking the photo, the owner came over and said they could get in the car!

Two very, very happy boys!

I got a nice photo, then told them they could be funny!

It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning!

A Different Way to Spend a Saturday

In case you haven’t picked up the hints, our family has really been enjoying going to the gym, whether weight lifting or CrossFit, going for walks together, and in general working to be more active.  Once the boys soccer season is over, hiking will probably be added to that list again too.  Mom and I going to CrossFit lead to our family doing something that probably never would have happened even six months ago.  We went and watched a weightlifting competition!

The competition was at CrossFit Huachuca, where Mom and I go for CrossFit.  Mom volunteered to help out during the competition, and the rest of us enjoyed watching.  It was a relative strength competition, so the winners were determined by what percentage of their body weight they could lift. It was amazing to see how much weight some of the athletes could lift, and also fun to watch some of Mom’s friends from her morning class compete!

Mom and Dad went in early, while the boys and I got there in time to watch the competition.  It is going to be an annual competition, so who knows, maybe you’ll see Mom and I competing instead of watching from the sidelines next year!  (Don’t laugh too hard when you read that Mom, it is definitely possible!)

Almost time to start, they are getting the bars ready for the first lift, the snatch.

This was the boys favorite competitor, because he was dressed in Captain America gear.

Soccer = Life

Or so it seems!  We are beginning to understand the craziness that people talk about when they mention that they have multiple children in the family playing sports.  It takes over your lives!  But at the same time, it is good to see the boys out enjoying playing.

The first game that I got to see Reuben play was not only a good game, it was flanked by finding cool critters!  Here are photos of the critters and the game.

Jason and Reuben were waiting for me outside, when they saw this little head sticking out of a vent on the garage.  He is a different type of lizard that we haven’t seen before.  We were ready early, so we watched him until he pulled his head back in.

There was a faint rainbow above the field when we got there.

Pre-game huddle

Reuben was either in the middle of the field, or on the far side of the field for most of the game.  Here he is playing defense.  He is the one closest to the goal here, as they wait for the game to start.

Reuben, on defense, getting the ball and about to boot it towards the other end of the field.  (He is the one farthest right in yellow.)

Reuben’s team got a penalty kick, and the coach had him kick it.

Scrambling for the ball

Stopping the ball in preparation to send it in the other direction, away from his team’s goal.

Since it was an evening game, we were also treated to a beautiful sunset!

Reuben’s team played well, even though they lost with a final score of 3-0.  We are very proud of Reuben, as he played the entire game!  He was very, very tired afterwards, and quite sore for a couple of days, but he loved it.

Jason saved this toad from being stepped on.  It was after the game, and we were  taking Reuben more water, when we saw this little toad hopping around.  He almost got stepped on, so Jason picked him up and took him outside the field area so he would be safer.

Labor Day Hike

Labor Day found me getting up early and heading out to go on a hike with one of the other ladies at work and one of her friends.  We didn’t go as far as we where hoping to, but it was still absolutely beautiful!

Beautiful blue skies!

Because of all the rain we have had lately, the creek that you hike along for a little while was running pretty well.

We hiked up Miller Canyon.

One of the trial signs.  It was very odd to me that there were actually signs along the trail.  That doesn’t happen very often in Alaska, or at least not the places I’ve gone hiking!

All in all, a beautiful morning.