Happy 9th Birthday!

Happy Birthday Ms. Kay! Kayla has the last birthday of the year in our family, and she has been looking forward to it for awhile now. She got the day started off early as she attends an AlegeBrain Math Club on Tuesday mornings before school. She was happy to finally be the same age as most of her friends, but that is short lived, as several of them will turn 10 this week. There's nothing wrong with being the youngest. She took Rice Krispy treats for her 15 classmates (no complaining about class size here) and had a fun day at school. After homework, she chose to go to Olive Garden for dinner. Good choice! We had a delicious dinner, Kayla likes Fettuccine Alfredo, and enjoyed the never ending bread sticks and salad. Dad had been in New York for work, but flew home in time to be a part of the cake and ice cream and present opening. Though we were unsuccessful in finding Dreyer's Ice Cream Sandwich ice cream for her party, we did find some in time for her actual birthday. So yummy! Present time is pretty exciting at our house. The girls all love to crowd around and can't wait to see what's inside each package. Aubrey had made her a special card which all of her friends had signed. Grandma & Papa Miller sent her a special jewelry box made in Hawaii and a nice metal bookmark. She was very excited to get this type of wooden jewelry box as she has admired the one that Aubrey has. Grandma and Grandpa Webber gave her a fun Kit (American Girl) book and a Halloween S'mores kit in a paint can. Mom and Dad gave her tickets to see the play WICKED (it is a prequel to the Wizard of OZ and is about the life of the Wicked Witch of the West). She will be seeing it at the Pantages Theater in LA during our trip out there in November. We really like to give the kids experiences more than things, and she is excited to go see this play next month. Those of you that know Kayla, know what a wise and gentle spirit she has. She radiates goodness and the pure love of Christ. Her spiritual and intellectual maturation is far beyond her 9 years here on this earth and our lives and the lives of all those around her are richly blessed by her presence. We love you Kay!

Kayla's 9th Birthday Party

Today was Kayla's birthday party. She decided to have an Ice Skating party at the Olympic Oval. We started at home with presents, cake, and ice cream, and then proceeded to the rink. It was a light afternoon at the Oval, so we pretty much had the track rink to ourselves. With the above normal temperatures we've had lately, it was quite refreshing to be inside the ice arena. It wasn't even too bad when we fell or slipped on the ice. The girls all had a good time and we left with no serious injuries. It is always fun to have Kayla and all her close friends together. She has awesome friends, and we love seeing the joy and happiness they add to her life.

Golfing with MJ

This afternoon Robert and I and a couple of his work peers and their spouses joined their boss for a round of golf and dinner. Robert's boss and her family are members of an exclusive golf club near Park City called Glenwild. I had a lot of things on my calendar that day, but decided to come enjoy the afternoon with Robert and ride along in the golf cart. My only regret was that I left my phone/camera in the car. We didn't know we'd be golfing in front of, and then behind, one of the most famous athlete's in the world. Growing up not far from LA, I'm really not much of a star-struck person, but this was cool. Robert first saw MJ in the locker room when he went to change his shoes. MJ was then on the putting green while we were hitting range balls, and proceeded to go out on the course after our group. He golfed behind us for the first 9 holes, but then asked if their group could 'play through' us. You mean we weren't keeping pace with the scratch golfers behind us? Imagine that. After they passed us, I was able to watch him (and Robert, of course) play the back nine.

It was a very beautiful course topped off by an amazingly beautiful afternoon. As a spectator, I especially liked the holes with the small lakes and deep, white sand traps. It looked like a course you'd see on TV during the PGA tour.

After golf, we had a wonderful dinner out on the patio overlooking the 18th hole. We enjoyed good food and great company. It was just a fun afternoon and we're glad everyone could get out of the office and spent it together.

Itty Bitty Salt Lake City

Itty Bitty Salt Lake City is a contest run by a local newspaper where they print 20 pictures of pieces of signs, architecture, statues, and icons and send residents on a scavenger hunt to try and find them. We got out last year and spent a few hours looking and found 4 of the 20 clues. For those of you who have never tried the contest, it is a lot of fun, but a lot harder than you think. All of the clues can be found within a 20 block radius downtown, but you may not be able to see them for both directions as you walk, so the paper suggests you attack from both directions on all streets. Additionally, some of the clues are rather obscure, so you have to look very closely.

We thought we were on fire this year as we found this one when we were parking the car and a second only two minutes later, but after that it was slow going with a total of only three clues found. The girls were hungry, so we cut our searching short and got some a bite at the Gateway mall and left in time to run back to the car as it started raining.

The girls enjoy getting out and looking around for the clues, and we have been surprised at all the details on buildings and signs and the like that you never really notice until you take the time to look closely. I guess it goes to show you that there are interesting things all around if we slow down and take the time to look for them.

Girls Night Out

Tonight was a Mother / Daughter night out for Aubrey and her friends. Their teacher at school is performing in the musical 'Suessical' at a community theatre, so her 6 friends and their Moms decided to go to the show together. This is a picture of them after the show with Ms. Vance, who played 'Gertrude McFuzz' in the show. It was fun to see Ms. Vance in a different setting and 'in character', which seemed out of character to us. We even got VIP treatment by her sending the scary Wickersham brothers to our rows when they came out into the audience.

This is such a great group of girls and Moms and we enjoyed spending the evening with them.

Go Cougars (# 21)

We have been looking forward to this game for a long time. Dad told us awhile back that his friend Bob (a longtime UCLA season ticket holder and fan) had invited him to come up to watch the BYU vs. UCLA game with he and his son, Tim. He was kind enough to also get tickets for Robert and I. This has been a fun year for us to keep up on BYU football because ...we know someone on the team. (I would not like to admit that I used to babysit him, cause I don't feel old enough to have done that, but I did) We could not have chosen a better game to attend. BYU enilated UCLA 59-0. It was a great game if you're a Cougar fan, but not so fun if you're a Bruins fan. We know because we were sitting in the UCLA section, and by the end of the 3rd quarter, our section was pretty much clearing out. It was a record setting game for BYU and UCLA's worse loss in 79 years. I had never heard the BYU Fight song so many times in one afternoon. Our favorite player, Scott Johnson #21 also had a phenomenal game causing at least one fumble and helping the defense to shutdown the Bruin offense completely. We are so glad we were able see his parents, Curt and Tammy at halftime. They have included us as part of their family for many years now and we love them very much. I hope Dad's 10 hour ride home with Bob and Tim was okay, and that his keychain that plays the BYU fight song, never accidentally went off. Go Cougars!!!

Emi's dance routine

Legacy Race

How often do you get to run on the freeway? Today they are unveiling a new freeway in Salt Lake and we got to run on it. The 'Legacy Parkway' runs along the west side of Salt Lake City and up through Davis County. This has been a much anticipated and much needed roadway, but prior to opening up the road to commuters, they opened it up to runners. We have been looking forward to this event for awhile now. Not only were we excited to run on the new road, but this was the 'Hess Cancer Foundation Legacy Tour' benefiting the Hess Cancer Foundation, which is a foundation close to our hearts. It was started by our friend, Travis Hess, and it works with Primary Children's Medical Center to help cover funeral costs for families who have lost a child to cancer. Travis and his wife lost their 4 year old daughter to cancer several years ago. They were so grateful for the financial help they received at that tender time, and are now glad they can pass that blessing on to others. We have seen Travis and another one of his daughters fight through their own bouts with cancer and we have great love and respect for their entire family. We love them dearly and were honored to be a part of this awesome event and to help them in their ongoing quest to help others.

Race time. Robert decided to run the 10K event, while Kayla, Grandpa Webber (who actually came up for the BYU game, but couldn't pass up running with us) and Jenna ran the 5K. I know I've said this before, but really, it was just such a beautiful morning for a run. We had picked up our bibs and timing chips the night before, so we were ready to go. Due to the nature of the event, there were several local TV stations there, so it's always fun to see your local newscasters in person. The cyclists, who were riding a 20-mile course, were the first to hit the highway. About 15 minutes later, those running the 10k began their race, and about 10 minutes after their departure the 5k race began. Kayla, Dad, and I started at the front of the race (though when you're wearing a timing chip that doesn't matter too much) but it was fun to be the first to go when the gun went off. The course was a flat out and back with a water station half way through the race. Kayla and I stayed pretty consistent with our goal and had a good run. People are always very supportive of her when they see her out there running, so we usually make friends along the way, and this race was no different. She finished with her usual burst out sprinting as she approached the finish line, and cut off over 1 minute 3 seconds from her previous personal record. You go girl!

Each of us met or exceeded our race goal and all 4 of us finished somewhere in the top 6 of our age division. Kayla came in 1st for the 11 and under girls division and 12th in the entire women's division. Here is a picture of her receiving her gold medal. For the first time in her racing career, Jenna also received a medal for placing 3rd in her age division. Grandpa placed fourth in his age division and cut 3 minutes off his personal record, and Robert finished 5th in his age division cutting 6 minutes off his person record. It was a good race day benefiting a great cause.

Daddy Daughter Olympics

After the closing ceremonies in Beijing, the Olympics made their way to South Jordan. Aubrey and Kayla had a Daddy Daughter activity with the 8 to 11 year old girls from church. It was held in the Gonzalez's back yard where there was ample space to conduct all of the events. There were about 20 girls with their dads participating in the events which included a horseshoe pitch, ring toss, lawn darts, bubble gum blowing, jump rope, and 3-legged race. On the back of a strong performance in the 3-legged race (including winning the re-run heat after they were told you could not pick up your daughter and run), Millerania won the overall gold medal. Kayla and Aubrey were quite proud. Robert was just happy to finish ahead of our friend Leo. It was a fun night of food and games. We are grateful that we can live in such a wonderful neighborhood with good friends. We especially appreciate the women who spend their time teaching and working with our precious daughters.

Fastest Race of our Lives

Same Day. New Race. Different Participants. This afternoon, Robert and I ran in the Alta Downhill Dash and BBQ Bash. This was an event we had never participated in, but we LOVED it! Many of our running associates (meaning the usually racers that we see at every race) were there and we were looking forward to a good run. It was a beautiful day, both in the valley (78 degrees) and up in the canyon (68 degrees), with beautiful, blue skies. That is my absolute favorite weather to run in. If I can look up and see beautiful blue sky with some white clouds, I am good to go.

The race was an 8k down Little Cottonwood Canyon, meaning we ran on the road next to the cars. That was a new experience for us too, but it was very exhilarating. I had chosen to run this race because my friend Amy had asked me to do it with her, but then she had a wedding reception at that time, so I decided to run it on my own. That same day, there was a 'Love your Body" Women's Only race up at the University of Utah. This was the slogan for that race, but I used it for my own race as well.

I RUN...

for me, for sanity, for fun, for health, for companionship, for competition, for solidarity, for my

body, for a better life, for clarity, for sheer joy, for the love of my body.

To that I added: for my children, so they will know when they are grown, that they can continue to be themselves and care for themselves, and develop themselves in ways that will benefit their lives, and the lives of their families. That's why I run, and I run because I can.

Those are the thoughts I took with me as I ran down the canyon. And I was very lucky to have the best running companion ever, to run with me - Robert. Once we saw the layout of the course, 2 days before the race, we decided the only way he'd get to see my race, was to run with me. So that's what we did.

It was the fastest race of our life. We finished in 38:09, with a 7:37 mile average pace. We were cruising!! Though I am still running another 5K with Kayla next Saturday, this felt like a good way to end the season.

I'm so glad Robert was there to run with me. There is nothing in this world I wouldn't rather do with him there. I love him more than words can express and I loved spending this time with him.

After finishing the race, they shuttled us back to the Alta Peruvian Lodge for a BBQ, and we were hungry. They had live music, BBQ chicken, salad, rice, baked beans, drinks, and chocolate cake. The food tasted and felt great to our tired bodies, but it was the cool mountain air and beautiful mountain views that really rejuvenated our bodies and spirits.

It was a busy day. We had Aubrey's race, our race, a Ward Party, and a surprise 40th Birthday party for our friend Leo. What a great Saturday!

Aubrey's Du-athalon

This morning was Aubrey's first Du-athalon, which was a Swim-Run event held at Alta Canyon Rec Center. She has been training for this race since she finished up the track season in July. Her swim coach, Shelley, has been working with her on her strokes, breathing, and flip turns. Dad and I have been her running coaches, so nothing too professional there. One of she and Kayla's friends, Amber, also participated in the race. It was kinda unchartered water for us, but it was so fun to be a part of.

The race began with a 100-meter swim. Amber and Aubrey were in the same lane and used about 1/4 of the lane, by pretty much swimming right next to each other. After the swim, Amber's Mom Becky (my speedy running partner and good friend) and I helped the girls transition. That's a little chaotic. Trying to get their feet dry enough to put socks on and pull shorts up over their suits, and they're trying to get their goggles off and saying "Hurry, Hurry". I promise we were going as fast as we could. Then they were off to run a 2K around the grass perimeter of the complex.

I think this is where they got a little tired. Once they were about as far away from the spectators as the course took them, they took a little breather. We cheered them on to keep running, and they regain their strength and kept on running. Amber's parents have both run the Boston Marathon and her Dad has done the Ironman Tri-athalon, so I knew there was no way these girls weren't going to 'push it' past us. They did two loops around the course and Aubrey finished 3rd for the Girls Divisions of the race, with Amber a very close 4th. It was so exciting and I am so proud of her for doing it.

Here's Aubrey's take on the event: "My least favorite part of it was the swim because I could not breathe at all. I kept swallowing so much water, so I defiantly did not like that part! The run was better and it did not feel a bit like the 2k course I trained on at all. It felt so much easier and shorter then the other course. The only reason I stopped was because I was so wiped out from the swim I had to stop and catch my breath. At the end, I loved getting a bagel and cream cheese (one of my very favorite foods!) and receiving my 3rd place medal!"

Quack, Quack

This morning I was at a PTA meeting when the girls called to tell me there was a duck in the backyard. They said he couldn't fly and didn't quack very good. When I got home, there he was, sitting in the garden. He didn't look injured, he just couldn't quack every time he tried to, so he's a quiet duck. He just waddles around the yard, and his favorite thing to do is walk on the pool cover. He's got to feel that there's water under there and sometimes pecks his beak at the cover, as if to try to access that water. It's been fun to go outside and look for him. The girls have had a kick chasing him around the yard. We don't know exactly how he got here, but we're enjoying his visit. That is everyone, except our cat Jordan. He is very on edge, and is constantly looking out the windows or glass door. Jordan's not too pleased with our new found friend. Our goal is to catch him at some point (we haven't caught him yet) and take him down to the Jordan River. We think he'll be happier there, but it's been fun for the weekend.

Emma leaves for BYU-Idaho

Tonight Emma came over to say good bye before she leaves for college this week. She has babysat our girls since she was 12 years old and now is a college freshman. Emma is the queen of crafts, games, books, and fun. She always brings her bag of suprises and sometimes she can barely get through the door without the girls trying to peek inside her bag. We have always tried to pay generously, but sometimes wondered if we even covered the costs of her supplies. Over the past few years, Emma has started to watch the girls while Robert and I travel. I would call home to see how they were doing, and they would be making homemade pizza's from scrtach or doing elaborate crafts or treasure hunts. I know what a task that is with five. She's amazing. But the best part about Emma tending them, is that she loves them. She knows them all very well and loves them; and we love her. We have watched her grow, and mature (she's always been mature) and blossom into a beautiful young women over the past 6 years. We appreciate her family sharing her with us and wish her the very, very best! We'll see you at Break!

Swim & Slug-fest

Today is Labor Day. The heavy rains continued until about noon. We started running the pool cover pump about 8:00 am, but with the continued rainfall, it had a hard time keeping up with all of the water. The neighborhood gang arrived about 1:00. We barbecued, ate, visited, and finally aided the poor pool cover pump by using buckets to bale off the water. Though we had heated the pool, it was still a little cold for the fair weather swimmers. You can see us off to the side with our sweatshirts on. But those who swam had a great time.

We had some races and everyone loved Mike's new toothpick game. Someone puts a toothpick at the bottom of the deep end while everyone else stand on the side and watches for it to come up. The person who retrieves the toothpick is the winner. But just because you see the toothpick first, doesn't mean you'll be able to retrieve it, and once one person jumps in, the waves and splashing make it even more of a challenge.

After swimming, we headed to the field for some whiffleball. We've got some pretty good ball players in our midst. I think Nate was the master pitcher and Cory, the master baserunner. By late afternoon the mass of kids had moved inside to play 'Werewolves' and the adults decided to clean up and head out to dinner. We ordered a boat-load of pizza for the kids and headed to Italian Village, a local hangout in Murray (in recognition of our friends about to have their 20 year Murray High School Reunion). It is always nice to have a day to spend with family and friends, and this was a great day!