Today, the boys and I participated in the Murray Fun Days 5K and Kids Race. Neal came to me a few months ago and said he wanted to run the 5K this year. I was worried that he would struggle since a 5K is 3.1 miles. He really wanted to do it. So, we trained 2-3 times a week. His training runs were pretty good for an 8-year old. I was excited to be able to run with him. I wanted to stay with him and run at his pace. I figured it might take us about 40-45 minutes to run the 5K. I usually run them in about 27-28 minutes. Neal surprised me! He ran the whole time and ran at a pretty good pace. We finished the 5K in 33:25! The only time he stopped was about 2.5 miles into the race to get a drink from some cute grandma’s on Vine Street who were handing out water to the runners. Neal pushed it hard at the finish. The family was cheering him on and Amber said he had such a proud look on his face.
Riley and Neal both ran the Kids Race after the 5K. They ran hard, and had fun. Neal finished in about 5 minutes, and Riley came in at 6 minutes. They both were so excited about running. Plus, not only did they get a shirt for running, but they also got a medal. Amber and I were so proud of our boys. It’s great to see them have so much fun running together.
After the 5K and Kids Race, we watched the parade. We had a fun time. Amber and I are proud of the boys. We’re glad they’re choosing to be active while they’re young. Hopefully it will continue to help them develop good, healthy habits which will last throughout their lives. Next up: BBQ and fireworks! Happy Fourth!
This past Wednesday we went with my family to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house in South Jordan. Like all of the temples in the Church, this one is unique and beautiful. One thing that I really liked was the openness of the design. There’s a lot of large windows that allow a lot of natural light in. The woodwork throughout the building was very thought out as well. South Jordan is the only city in the whole world to have more than one temple. That’s a pretty cool fact.
A few weeks back, the statue of the angel, Moroni was struck by lightening. It was interesting to see the darkened results.
It felt good to be there. The temple is the house of the Lord. I feel His love every time I enter it’s doors. I’m thankful to have the blessing of the temple in my life. It blesses the lives of my family. I love Amber and my boys very much. We’re trying hard everyday to live our lives so that after this life we can be an eternal family. The open house runs through August 1. If you live locally, or will be visiting Salt Lake during that time, be sure to drop by. It’s beautiful.
Yesterday, my brother-in-law, Geoff had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show off his goods in a pre-draft workout for the Utah Jazz. They called him up on Sunday night and asked him to come participate. This workout will help Geoff see what he needs to work on. He’s a bit too small for the NBA. But, he’ll have a long career overseas in Europe. Congratulations on getting the call for a workout Geoff. I don’t recall Lee Cummard being asked by the Jazz to workout prior to the 2009 NBA Draft…
Check out his interview after yesteday’s workout (courtesy Utah Jazz):
Here’s a link to a story from KSL-TV - Jazz continue pre-draft auditions Monday
Finally, here’s a link to a story in the Deseret Morning News – Utah Jazz: Payne honored to workout for Jazz
Congratulations Geoff! We’re proud of you.
On another note, my other brother-in-law, Dave, was accepted into the Professional MBA program at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah this past weekend. He’s slated to begin classes in August. Congratulations Dave! Now the hard work begins!
Father’s Day started early since our ward meets at 9 a.m. Amber made sausage and egg muffins for breakfast, and the boys gave me a fun Book of Mormon hero’s animated book that we can use for lessons in Family Home Evening.
Church was fun. I was able to spend Sacrament meeting with Amber and the boys. I had to leave during Sunday School though. It was the third Sunday – High Council speaking assignments. I know, not on Father’s Day! I had to speak at 11 a.m. in one of the other wards in our stake. Typically, we have stake conference on Father’s Day. This year, we’re having a multi-stake conference in October.
After church I took a nap for a little bit. The relay sure took all of the energy I had out of me! We then went to visit my mom and dad, then had dinner with Amber’s parents and Geoff and Jill. It was a fun day. Thanks, Amber, Neal, and Riley for all you did to make it such a special day for me! I love the three of you more than you know.
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The 2009 version of the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back has come and gone. Just like my first time last year, I had a blast! This year, I ran on the same team with Geoff and Jill, and Amber’s cousin, Natalie Romrell.
I was in van one this year. I had some pretty tough legs. The first one was a 6.9-mile ankle busting descent down the back side of Avon Pass into Liberty. Friday was a beautiful day to run. The temperature was in the mid-70’s and sunny. The view coming down the pass was breathtaking.
My second leg was a 8-mile climb up to East Canyon Reservoir from the north side. The first 4-5 miles was actually very nice. The climb was gradual and not too bad. The last 3 miles was steep and tough. I started this leg around 9:50 p.m. The temperature was nice and cool. When I got closer to the dam, a pretty decent breeze was blowing, which made it cooler. This leg took me about 15 minutes longer than I wanted it to. Those last few miles were tough.
After the exchange at East Canyon, we drove to Coalville and rested at North Summit High School for the rest of the night. I paid $2 and took a shower, then we went out on the football field, spread out the drop cloth and rolled out the sleeping bags. There was a slight breeze which made it cooler. It was actually very nice. We were able to sleep for about 4 hours before we had to head to the next exchange.
My last leg was a nice, 3.1-mile flat run through Heber. The weather on Saturday morning was overcast and was sprinkling rain from time to time. It was dry during my run. After we handed off to van two on this leg, we were done! Van two got pretty wet during their last six legs. We went into Park City and got some lunch, and ice cream, then rested until it was time to meet the rest of the team and family at the finish line.
Our team – Just Run – finished one hour ahead of the projected finish time at 31 hours and 35 minutes. I had a great time. I’m glad I ran in the relay. What an amazing experience and another goal to check off my list.
Neal participated in basketball camp at Westminster last week. He attended the same camp last year. Since Geoff finished his eligibility this past season, and this was his last summer helping at camp, we thought it would be important to have Neal there again. Neal did a great job. He’s really learning a lot! Good job Neal!
Here’s Neal with Geoff and Jeramie Hopson. Riley wanted in on the photo action as well.
Filed under: Family
Last Friday, I took the boys to our ward’s fathers and sons campout at Horseshoe Springs, just west of Grantsville. I went out there a few times when I was a Boy Scout. It doesn’t seem like much has changed
We left early so the boys could have some fun playing on Friday night since we had to leave a bit earlier on Saturday. The weather didn’t cooperate for us though. We were the first ones from the ward there, and the wind was blowing really hard. It was blowing dust everywhere! So, we just stayed in the car and waited for others to show up.
The wind finally died down around 7:30, so we could light the stoves and cook dinner. We had hot dogs, and chips. For desert, we made banana boats. Have you ever had a banana boat? Well, you slice a banana while still in the peel, and add marshmellows, and chocolate chips. Then you wrap them in aluminum foil and cook them over a fire or a grill. They were good!
We had a fun time playing, talking, and laughing. The boys were great!
Riley and Neal took their baseball gloves. Check out Riley’s wind-up!
Our family finished reading the Book of Mormon again on Sunday night. The boys were pretty excited. It took us a while, but we did it. We missed a lot of nights, and didn’t have complete attention from each of us at one time or another, but we got through it again. Neal asked if we could read the Pearl of Great Price next. I’m happy to see the excitement he has for reading the scriptures.
Filed under: Family
Neal’s Cub Scout pack had their annual Raingutter Regatta on Tuesday night. Neal won the whole thing. Not only did his boat look good, but his blower worked good.
We helped Neal put his boat together. And, yes, we helped a lot, but he did most of the work. To help us, we went a little bit further than just using the instructions that came with the boat. We used some helpful tips on making the ultimate raingutter regatta from Boy’s Life magazine. I thought the pointers were very helpful.
Good thing there weren’t any pirates nearby. That might have been the only thing that could have stopped him!
Filed under: Family
Our Memorial Day weekend was a busy one. We spent Friday and Saturday with Grandma Poulsen’s side of the family. Each year around her birthday, which happens to be around Memorial Day, we get together. First, we go to the temple together on Friday night. Then, we get together on Saturday morning and clean-up grandma’s yard. Then, we get back together on Saturday night for dinner. I look forward to it. I really enjoy the Poulsen family. Enjoy some pictures below of us in the yard at grandma’s.
On Monday, while Amber was finishing up an assignment, the boys left early with Grandma and Grandpa Packer to my Aunt Linda, and Uncle Rob’s cabin in Pine Mountains, which is about 50 east of Salt Lake, just east of Kamas. Amber and I met the family up there later in the day.
Rob and Linda’s cabin is amazing! It’s large and can handle the big family gatherings. The weather at the cabin was a bit cooler than in Salt Lake. It was nice. In fact, it hailed for a bit while we were there.
We had some great barbeque, and lots of laughs. We also were able to get on the four wheelers. Riley and Neal loved it!
It was a fun weekend, and a great taste of what’s going to be a fun summer. The hardest thing about Monday, was having to get ready to go back to work on Tuesday!
