Hello old friends

I haven't forgotten that we I have blog.  And I haven't forgotten that there are a few people out there who do in fact read it.  I guess I just needed a little break for whatever reason.  I don't claim to be any bussier than anyone out there, but maybe it was just a mental thing.

When ever I get into good habits of blogging I start having visions of my blog being something more than it really is.  Something like all the famous Utah-Mormon-stay-at-home-moms have created out of their blogs.  So, then I get discouraged and pushed away, but let's be honest, people.  The only reason I do this is to keep a record.  And for the pictures.  And I haven't been doing a very good job at that lately.

So, since it has been a while, here are a bunch of pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Most every day of this summer included time spent in the front yard and ALWAYS included water in some way.  Lynlee could not get enough of it!

For the 4th of July, Dane celebrated by running the Freedom Run 10K.  The start and finish were only a few blocks from our house, so it was easy to get Lynlee up and dressed to go cheer him on.

I ran my first half marathon ever.  But this was no ordinary race.  It was the first anual Aunt Beth Memorial run.  Dane and his family put it together for me because I had registered to run a race but missed it because it was on the same morning as her funeral.  I have to say, I have the best in-laws in the world.

Dane went to Vegas for 2 weeks to complete all of his flight instructor certifications in an accelerated program.  It was insane and probably the worst 2 weeks of my life.  Not seeing him was so hard.  He was under an incredible amount of stress to perform and get done in time.  And on top of that I had a miscarriage while he was gone.  I would never wish this experience or even part of it on anyone.  BUT  we are SO glad he is done, and now an official CFI! (certified flight instructor)

Lynlee and me spending some quality time together, learning how to use the photo app on an iphone.  She is getting pretty good.

We made pretty good use out of this little back pack this summer going for lots of hikes and walks.  Here we are on our way up to Stewart Falls above Aspen Grove.

I can't even handle how cute it is when this little girl gets ahold of corn on the cob. 

Or even an ice cream cone for that matter.   This is Lynlee with her cousin, Zoey.  They are just 6 days apart.

Lynlee can never resist joining me for my exercises on the floor.

One night after dinner at the mall, we hopped on the carousel.  Lynlee couldn't stop saying "neh, neh"  the entire time.  She loves horses. 

In September, Dane's family got together for a family vacation at New Port Beach.  It was so much fun to spend time with everyone and Lynlee loved her cousins.

Cousins at the hotel in New Port Beach, CA

And of course we had to take a day and head over to Disneyland!  

Dane went on lots of bike rides this summer and took some amazing photos of the fall leaves.  Who can resist a scene like this?

Lynlee has started saying "cheese" when we take pictures of her.  I can just here it so clearly when I look at this!

We moved into a new place in Provo and I got a job as an apartment manager at the end of August.  We had so much help from friends and neighbors for the move it was overwhelming.  It was so amazing.  Many of my friends came over to clean the day  before we left.  They brought their kids and took turns watching them so the other mom's could clean. Eventually the kids got bored playing and wanted to help.  So we set them to work with spray bottles of water and rags.  It was so cute.

Fall is here!  So we went for our anual drive to see the leaves in Alpine Loop.  

Lynlee has been skipping a lot of her naps lately.  One night a few weeks ago, Dane took her to the grocery store to get some things for dinner (on a day she had skipped her nap) and she fell asleep in the car on the way.  She stayed asleep in his arms the whole time.  

Not only is Dane a CFI, but he is employed!  Here he is at UVU with one of his students, Brian, before Brian took his first solo flight.

Lynlee was an elephant for Halloween this year.  I fell in love with this costume at Costco and went to about 5 different Costco's to find the right size.  This picture is at our ward "trunk-or-treat".  It didn't take Lynlee very long to figure out the process of going from car to car.  

A few more pictures from California--Lynlee chasing birds at the beach

Abbie, Dane's sister, took some new family pictures for us in California

How can you resist this little sweety?

And last but not least, I finished my first "official"  half marathon today!  I was soooo cold.  We started up at Sundance and ran down Provo Canyon.  

St. George

I just found this blog post un-published for some reason.  So, better late than never, right?

A few weeks ago, we went to St. George with some of our good friends.  We didn't take many pictures, but we had a lot of fun.  Swimming, biking, running, hanging out and eating lots of good food.  This is always one of our favorite vacation spots.

Hogle Zoo

Several weeks ago, Lynlee and I made a trip up north to see the animals at the zoo.  It was such a great day to go!  All of the animals were out and walking around, and it seemed like every time we stopped at a new cage, it was feeding time for that animal.  Lynlee loved it, and I might have to say that her favorite animal to see was the monkeys.  There were so many different kinds of monkeys!

Unfortunately, we didn't take too many photos of her looking at the animals, but there was a really great playground that we let her run around in for a while before heading home and I remembered to pull out my camera.

We loved the zoo!

We tried to see how big she would be next to a gorilla, but there was a melt down instead.

Baby elephant!

My favorite!

She always has to taste the dirt.  Don't know when she will learn that lesson...

Dane's Graduation!

So, it is probably not news to anyone who reads this, but it is time to start blogging again....now that I charged the battery for my camera and can take the photos off. :)

I have to say that Dane's graduation was an amazing accomplishment and I am sooooo proud of him!  (Also so excited that he doesn't have homework anymore!)

Here are some of the great pics!

Lynlee was a trooper and stayed happy for the entire convocation.

Bridget's Triathlon

It isn't very often that I take the time to brag about my self on this blog.  For the most part, everything on here has been about my family, and lately, Lynlee.  Well, I have to take a chance to record a major goal that I finally completed this last weekend.  I completed my first triathlon!  It is something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and finally set my mind to it earlier this year.  And I have to say that I have caught the bug.  This will most definitely not be my last!

Here is my classic "before the race" picture.  I have to say that these are my two biggest, best fans.  Thanks so much for coming out to cheer for me Dane and Lynlee!  And also to my dear sister Kathy who took all of these great pictures!

 And here is the "after the race" shot.  Just made it out of the pool, (it was a reverse-tri) still feeling great!

So here is how it all went down:  run 3.1 mi, bike 10 mi, and then swim .25 mi. 

Just finished my run!  One down, two to go!

Getting my shoes changed for the bike

Off onto the bike portion, this was my strongest leg of the race.  (Don't worry, I did indeed buckle my helmet before I made it onto the road.)

My adoring fans waiting for me to come in from the bike ride.

Run and now bike down, time for a swim!

I don't have any pictures of the swim, but just to make up for it, I decided to show off my muscles to make you all feel better. :)

So, I have never, ever posted this many pictures of myself and to be honest, it feels a little silly, so don't worry, I won't do it again any time soon.

Over all, the race was a ton of fun.  I learned really good things about myself for my next triathlon and I know now how to adjust my training.  I met my goal and finished a little faster than I expected, finishing 3rd in my age group and 21st in the women.  It felt really great.  Thanks to everyone for all your support and and encouragement!