Happy Birthday to me!

I turned 37- one year closer to my mental and physical prime (which I decided will be at 58). For our celebration we went boat camping. The kids all got me presents- some of them very generous given the fact that they were spending their own hard-earned money. It was a nice weekend.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Evelyn spent a lot of her babysitting money for a new table-tennis top for the pool table.

Here's a few more things we've been up to:

Rachel and Evelyn went to Silverwood

We did some rock climbing. I was impressed with Maren's tenacity, Jackson's enthusiasm, and Adalie's casual athletic ability.

Rach and I went out to watch the Seahawks play in the preseason. Bring on football season! Evelyn has really been looking forward to this (she is going to rake in the dough with babysitting).

Have a good week!

Me with my siblings. I guess we all turned out alright.

*****

Last week we had almost 30 people descend on our house for the Hazard Reunion. We played. We talked. We did all the things that you might normally expect our family to do on any given weekend- only we did it with EVERYBODY. And it was great. Enjoy the pictures.

These first ones are at Silverwood. We spent pretty much the whole day at the park, breaking into groups according to age and "thrill level." The park was super busy for a Thursday, but we all managed to have a good time in spite of the long lines.

The next morning was a little bit damp, so we spent the early part of the day at the park playing with kids, playing pickleball, and hanging out. We had a picnic lunch, and then went over to the resort for Gooeys for dessert.

One of the days, Evelyn led most of the family down to "hidden lakes" an out-of-the-way swimming hole that she "discovered" and named last year.

The girls all went out for breakfast on one of the mornings.

Pretty much the rest of the reunion was spent at a couple different lakes/beaches and on the boat.

 Have a good week!

Quick update today-

In a few hours we will have my parents, all my siblings, and all their kids arriving at our house. It's somewhere between 25 and 30 people. Somehow we are all going to squish into our little home for the next four days (which is normally quite spacious and comfortable) while we have the Hazard Reunion. We are planning on a smattering of activities that represent, more or less, what our normal life is like up here in beautiful North Idaho. I really do feel like we live in God's Country and I think we will all be able to have some good times and create some lasting memories.

However...

This week was pretty good as well, and I don't want it to be overshadowed by the reunion. Thus, the update.

I am aware that every other picture on this blog, at least in summer, is of kids in swimming suits. It is basically like their second skin, and we are constantly either out on the boat or swimming at a beach. This is at Inspiration Point, a place the kids like going where they can jump off the "high dive" boardwalk (about 10 feet) into the lake. 

Rach and I went to see Les Miserables. Woah. This has been on my bucket list for a while. I cannot think of any other show with such a moving and challenging story to tell. I can also not think of any other show with as many show-stopping, jaw-dropping musical performances that dig deep down and wrench all your emotions to the surface. We got seats just 7 rows back from the stage, and it was definitely a night to remember.

And then there is this. Rachel competed in a triathlon and managed to finished ahead of her target time in spite of a rough start. I cannot even begin to describe how proud I am of her. She has worked hard for this.

Last year she watched the Ironman. In her words, she thought, "I haven't run in sixteen years and I can only just barely swim...but I think I could do that!"

 For months she has been working with swimming and running coaches to bring herself up to speed in these events (no pun intended).  She breezed through the cycling section, which is not surprising at all, and she came across the finish line with one of the strongest finishes I have ever seen. Seriously- it was like watching a Disney-produced sports movie. As she crossed I wanted to jump up and down shouting "That's my wife! That's my wife!" Fortunately, I didn't have to, because our kids already had it taken care of by informing all the spectators that "That's my mom!"

Go Rach! I'll do my best to keep up with you on the next one.

The start was crazy- I don't know how people keep from drowning. Somewhere in this crowd is Rach, taking the plunge.

Getting out of the water (She's the second one back in this picture) and racing to the bike.

Transition point

And she's off! This is her event and she knows it. 

Running- handing out high fives along the way

And a strong finish. I have to post this one again, since it is so good.

Love you, Rach!

Have a good week!

A "Gooey" celebration after Rachel's race.