Nebo Marathon

We REALLY thought St. George Marathon was going to happen this year!  So when Bevan got the email 2 weeks ago saying it was cancelled, he was scrambling to make sure his training didn't go to waste.  What was left?  Trisha found the Mt. Nebo Marathon and they all signed up:  Trisha, Bevan, Maren, and Eliza (making their marathoning debut!)  We drove to Provo for the "expo" the night before and then to Beverly and Lloyd's to spend the night.  Bevan and I snuck out at 3am to meet up with Trisha in Orem so I didn't have to drive him all the way to Payson!  The kids, Grandma and Grandpa, and I followed them a few hours later to watch them come in.  There were only 320 marathon runners so I thought it would be a mellow finish line, but I didn't take into account the THOUSANDS of half-marathon runners!  It was chaos.  I missed Maren finishing, barely caught Eliza, but was able to see Bevan and Trisha.  The twins killed it with a time of 3:11 and 3:12!  Who runs that fast?!  They easily qualified to run Boston with Trisha.  Poor Bevan missed it by 3 minutes.  He said it wasn't his favorite race anyway and already looks forward to St. George 2021.  What an amazing running family!

Back to School (it's a miracle!)

Oh, so many changes!  By the good graces of wasatch health department (aka our new government) we've been allowed to have school 5 days a week!  Anna is now in 4th grade with Miss Larsen (a rookie from Texas),  Dallin is in 2nd grade with Ms. Mitchell (a seasoned veteran), and Drew is starting afternoon preschool with Ms. Olivia (who kept calling him "Dallin" during his testing).  I know that school is the best place for them, which works well because I'd probably have to quit my job to homeschool them.  I did find time to sew some fun masks.  Anna requested unicorns and Dallin insisted on Minecraft.  Deep down, I really loathe masks, especially on kids... BUT we play along because it's the only way they get to go to school.  So here we are, face masks, 2 full waterbottles per backpack and fresh slime in their bike tubes.   Boom! 

Back-to-school night was pretty sparse.  It was fun to see old friends and teachers.  It was hard not to give Dallin's old 1st grade teacher a big hug!  She did so much for him towards the end of last year and motivated him in ways I never could.  Teachers truly have a gift!

So, here we are, back to routine!  I cut my work back an extra day and love spending extra time with Tommy.  He's getting so big and will soon be starting a school routine of his own.  I can't wait for the colors to start changing and the days to get colder, because it's still in the 90's every day here!  Will fall ever come? 

Ackerson Reunion Day 3-4: Floating, Skits, and Chalet Church

Saturday morning brought various activities from a long road bike ride, Tour de Heber Valley, pickleball lessons from Tom, face mask decorating, and card games.  I still didn't know where my kids were half the time!  After lunch, we took off for our float trip down the Provo River.  I have ALWAYS wanted to do this!  It did not disappoint!  It was so stinkin' hot and the water was so cold.  Bevan and I took turns with the littles in the raft and then out on the tubes with the older cousins.  I still cannot believe how much fun it was!  I think having so many people to float with made it fun.  Our only incident was near the end, when our tube caravan hit a giant boulder and Anna, Drew, and I got flipped into the water.  Drew was the most traumatized, but thank goodness he's only 4, he'll forget the whole thing eventually.  

After dinner, we had a birthday party for Mom with cake and ice cream.  She's so lucky to frequently have her birthday during the reunion.  After that, we had time for skits and I'm always amazed what my crazy family comes up with.  Bob Ross painting lesson, Just Dance performance, Worst Day at Lagoon, Miss Optimist 2020, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse roll-call "Camp Outside, it's hot outside!"  I crashed early, but I heard the fun continued with a late-night Wibbit run!

The next morning we had a wonderful sacrament meeting in the Chalet.  Then we all cleaned up and went home.  It was nice that home was only 5 minutes away.  I'm already looking forward to next year!