OXFEST 2011

July 13-18 was my family reunion in Brianhead, Utah. My parents found 2 big cabins that we all shared. We had a grand ole time hanging out for a few days.

This was the first night. If you're an Oxborrow girl you have short legs. We had to laugh when we looked around at each other. Within minutes we all had our legs up.
The next day I went with my mom & dad into Cedar City and saw The Music Man as part of the Shakespeare Festival, even though it's not by Shakespeare. Quite enjoyable.
Biggest source of entertainment for the kids: airsoft guns.
This is my adorable niece Anne.
Lots of game playing was had by all.
This is the big family photo - much too squishy in my opinion but here we are in our cool shirts designed by my brother Marc. (Babe the blue OX.)
The original Oxborrows.
The sisters. I love this pose, focused on Tanya's pregnant belly. We were cracking up.
McKelle was able to come with us. Sadly Jake & Jyson couldn't be there.
We rode the ski lift to the top - check out that elevation!
John rode the trails with my brothers Eric & Aaron & nephew Tosh.
A hug at high elevation.
The kids were fascinated with John's bike - how fast could he go? were those really pedals (pointing to his clipless cleats)? how many gears did he have?
Coming down with my cute nephews Luke & Sam.
The cup corner.
Remember the airsoft guns? The BBs were EVERYWHERE, so my parents held a contest to see who could pick up the most and everyone earned some money.
The M's: Mom (Marilyn), Morgan, Madison, MacKenzi, Maya, McKelle, Misty, Me (Michelle) - missing Mitzi. I guess we should have included Marc and Matt too.
John went back a day early with McKelle, Matt, Eric, & a few bikes.
The kids loved playing with Tosh. They didn't want him to leave.
Sunset on our last night.
I love hanging out with my family. Always looking forward to the next gathering...

Snippets of Summer

Summer is speeding by...practically over.
Here are a few highlights:

Bike MS with my good friend Debbie. This was a week after we ran Ragnar. She invited me to come ride 40 miles with her. We had a great time. It was a relaxing, social ride.
And we finished with smiles on.
Next event: hiking to the Y with my good friend Teresa. Another enjoyable event.
We chatted all the way up and down.
It was dusk on the way down. When we got to the bottom we went and got frozen yogurt. That's a great way to end any activity.
Next: my birthday. John totally surprised me and got me a NOOK Color. Love it. I'm ready to buy some books and get reading. Thanks babe!
Next: 4th of July. We shared some sparklers with our neighbors.
Jyson lit off a few bigger ones. He LOVES fireworks!
Next: hiking to Timpanogos Cave.
It was a great day for a hike!
Hanging out before we could start hiking.
On the trail.
Waiting to enter the cave.
Inside the cave.
Super cool stalactites & stalagmites.

I LOVE summer. Well mostly I just love not working. More events to come...

John's Scout Camp

John's Scouts went to camp the last week in June. He went up for the last 3 days. Jyson & I drove up the last night to have dinner with them.
John's dad went up with John as well. They did a dutch oven dinner for the families the last night.
My Scouter boys.
Jyson entertaining himself.
Father & son.
John, the great dad, husband, & Scoutmaster.

6 people, 26 hours, 100 miles

Even more photos this time:

6 people, 26 hours, 100 miles - welcome to Ragnar, Wasatch Back. If you're not familiar with Ragnar, you can check it out here. Basically, it's a relay run covering 192 miles with teams of 12. John & I were invited by our good friends Debbie & Brandon to join their van of 6. The morning of the race we met our other teammates Jaron & Brooke. Here we are, ready to run...
We've got the essentials: Ragmag, safety flags, headlamps...
I was the 2nd runner in our van. I look calm, but I was all butterflies inside waiting for my turn.
Yes, I know my outfit is ridiculous. These are my pink compression sleeves, to help with circulation while running...or just emphasize my large calves.
Off I go.
John, waiting for me with my chapstick in hand. Thanks babe!
A kiss of encouragement...
and I'm off again. My first leg was 6.75 miles. Wow. The farthest I had run before this was 5.5 miles so I was really proud of myself.
We're just hanging out waiting for Debbie to pass by. She was running on a dirt road, all uphill. We found the best spot on the road to wait.
John was runner #6. Here he is waiting for his first leg - 7 miles, a little uphill, mostly downhill. Killer on the knees.
This was the end of the dirt road.
Go Johnny!
This was our favorite team name!
The great part about Ragnar is having a team to cheer you on.
S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g...
This was our "van" with some last-minute decoration. Our team name was DQ'd for Rule 10E. I don't even want to explain. Just know that the name was created last year during Ragnar by some guys with very little sleep. Think bathroom.

After the other van ran their 6 legs, it was our turn again. I started running my 2nd leg around 11 p.m. Love the reflective gear & headlamp. I ran 3 miles.
John's 2nd leg was about 1 in the morning - 8 miles uphill. Poor guy!
By the time we finished our legs and stopped at a gas station, they had just delivered fresh donuts. We couldn't resist.
Our sleep time was supposed to be from about 2:30 a.m. to 7:30 or 8. I could..not..sleep! It was awful! I had a meltdown. I felt like I was going to throw up. It was bad. John told me he'd run my last leg for me. What a great husband. So, here he is - off to run my last 3.5 miles.
Waiting for other runners...
And finally, John was off on his own last leg, another 3 miles.
What a trooper. He ended up with close to 22 miles. I felt bad that I couldn't complete my legs, but I was proud of myself for running almost 10 miles.
We survived! The running was hard, but the company was fantastic!
John & I decided we'd like to head up a team for next year. We've already registered Team Viva La Familia for 2012. I must be crazy!