L&V ~ Portland Getaway

Landon planned a trip to Portland, just a quick weekend getaway. He sent me some updates along the way, so here's the trip details in his own words...

Valentina came over last night since we had our flight first thing in the morning. All went well with our flight and we landed in PDX. We picked up our rental car and left to Kolby and Jami’s house. We said “hi” to Kolby, who was the only one home at the time, and met the animals for the first time. We dropped off our stuff and left for Cannon Beach.

The drive to Cannon Beach was wonderful. It was about an hour and half drive through tons and tons of green trees and vegetation. We were excited since we saw the temp for Portland in the low 70’s for the day and thought that would be perfect while we are at Cannon Beach. Turns out, it is a good 10-15 degree difference there, colder than Portland. It was a breezy day too.

We did not have any breakfast, apart from sharing a little sandwich from a coffee shop by K & J’s. So as soon as we got in to Cannon Beach, we went to the fish and chips spot that Jami recommended. They were scrumptious! We devoured them as we sat on the rooftop deck of the restaurant.

From there we walked the beach awhile. Walking down about a mile to get close to Haystack Rock. The amount of people we saw with dogs was incredible. Of course we loved it and said hi to as many as we could. We walked back to where we parked, but went through the town instead of back through the beach. We took our shoes off to walk barefoot in the sand, but that ends up roughing them up a bit. Valentina wanted to get a little gift for K & J for letting us stay, so we visited a little wine shop there and picked up a bottle.

Being an hour and a half out of Portland, we wanted to make sure to take advantage of Cannon Beach while we were there. But other than eating fish and chips and walking the beach, there wasn’t much more for us to do. We made our way back to the city, where we had plans for dinner at Bamboo. I was super excited to have Valentina experience the Green Machine. Our first date was for sushi and it continues to be one, if not her favorite food.

It was still a bit early for us to go to the restaurant, so we stopped at a mall and browsed some shops there until it was time for our reservation at Bamboo. Once at Bamboo, we ordered up a couple of Green Machines, and a couple other rolls. I wasn’t aware of the variations for the Green Machine when they add fish to it. Valentina really loves her salmon, so we ordered one with salmon, and the other one was a classic Green Machine. I was shocked how quick they were to serve us. It wasn’t even a half hour that we were in the restaurant!

After dinner, we obviously needed dessert. From the little time I’ve spent in Portland, I did notice that wherever there is a Bamboo, there tends to be a Salt & Straw close by. We went over, but with the nice weather, everybody around had the same idea. Instead, we went back to the house to say hi to everyone else we hadn’t seen yet. Maddie had the idea that we go bar hopping that night. Valentina and I just needed a bit of a nap before going out since we already had a loooong day.

We left in an Uber along with Mia to go closer to where Maddie lives, as it is a great spot for a pub crawl. First up was Quarterworld, which is a bar/arcade. We played around for a while and had a few drinks. I kicked Valentina’s butt at the arcade basketball as usual. Right across the street was our next stop at Spaceroom. We didn’t play anything there, but we had some good conversations. And from the Spaceroom we went to Zak’s Shack. Some of the people were hungry and ordered some hot dogs. We made it to about 1 am until we called it a night. Valentina and I were sooooo wiped. It was a looooong day for us and it was loads of fun in Portland.

It was a slower start to Saturday after having a late night and long day yesterday. We made a plan to leave to see a waterfall in the late morning. While we were driving in that direction on the freeway, we saw a sign that said the exit for the waterfall was closed and that the parking was full. Instead we decided to turn back around to head to the city for some lunch, as we were getting hungry.

There was a Mexican place called “La Cocina” we found and wanted to try. On the menu they had mole Poblano, which I was pretty skeptical of, as I’m very critical of it being authentic. Luckily, it was quite authentic! We ordered chilaquiles as an appetizer, then ordered enchiladas de mole and enchiladas poblanas and shared between the two of us. Very delicious.

The rest of the day was practically wide open for us. While we were already in the downtown area, we went to the Saturday market as Kolby recommended it. We toured through all the little shops and found a couple of cute items to bring home with us.

From the market, we left for the Portland Japanese Gardens. Valentina found it recommended on TikTok, so we went to check it out. It was a really nice place to go to just be surrounded by all green. We simply wished people would be more quiet and it is supposed to be a more reflective experience as you wander through it.

Before heading back to K & J’s, we needed to make our second attempt at Salt & Straw. We found one nearby and went. We were not in a rush to go anywhere luckily, so we got in line to order. The line appeared long, but it was maybe only 15 minutes to get our ice cream. I ordered a mint chocolate chip, which Valentina did not appreciate, as she doesn’t care for it. Whoops hahaha. While she ordered the coveted Salted Caramel Ribbons. Still easily the best flavor in my opinion.

Back at the house, we took a quick cat nap before Colton came over with his girlfriend, Haley. Kolby prepped some mussels with the same recipe he made from years ago and I loved it. It was a little appetizer for the dinner we had. They as grilled some chicken and it was a great night.

Sunday, it was Easter ... Landon didn't do a write-up but said they had a relaxing morning, and then headed to the airport for the flight home. He was grateful for Kolby and Jami's generosity in letting them stay there, and Landon was so excited to get in some time with their animals! 

Catch of the Day in Cabo

Landon had been taken on a work fishing trip to Louisiana in October (Big Fish), and then in November, he and a couple co-workers were treated to Cabo! More fishing!  Again, Landon sent some photos and a little write-up of his experience ...

(Thursday, November 14, 2024)

We ended up having the trip moved forward one day due to poor weather expected on Sunday. The vendor changed our flights and everything to make it happen, which we were very thankful for. Not that we’re going to be here an extra day, but simply moved forward a day.

Juan (coworker) and I left from SLC at about 7 am. Our flight was to Denver and then to Los Cabos. While in Denver, we met up with Johnathon and Kyle (the vendor that invited us on this trip). It was a quick layover in Denver with just enough time to get a quick breakfast sandwich to go. We boarded and then arrived in Cabo around noon.

Kyle got us a shuttle and we were off to check in to the hotel we were to stay. It was about a 45 min drive, so I bought one of my favorite snacks for the ride: Japanese peanuts. Not sure why they’re referred as “Japanese” as they’re entirely Mexican. The only thing that matters is that I can enjoy them once again.

We settled in very briefly to our room and left to go meet the crew at the boat. “Bull Rider” is a 60’ boat and has more square footage than my apartment lol. It is so big that the mileage for it is reversed.. Not how many miles you go with one gallon of gas, but it is actually four gallons to go one mile. Yikes.

No fishing today, but simply a quick trip around the bay to sight see. It was a beautiful day and perfect weather to do so. This was the first time I met Rick, the owner of the company sponsoring this trip and owner of the boat as well. He’s a great guy with many stories.

For dinner, we went to one of the restaurants near the dock, where Rick gave them some of the white fish they had caught last week to prepare for us. Some of it grilled and some battered and deep fried. It was all delicious.

We finished up dinner, made a plan for tomorrow, and then Johnathon, Juan, and I left to see a bit of the town. Probably stayed out a bit later than we should’ve, but it was a fun time.

(Friday, November 15, 2024)

 Up and on the boat early setting out by 6 am. Johnathon, Juan, and I were exhausted and not feeling well from our drinks last night. Whoops. This was also my first real test with motion sickness, so I was a bit nervous how it’d go.

The guys brought us some breakfast, but none of us were ready to risk eating yet. We all opted to take a nap while we set out for a 50-60 mile ride off the coast.

Once the sun was up, I woke up, but was feeling awfully woozy. At this point, I couldn’t tell if it was the hangover or sea sickness. I went to the upper deck to go get some fresh air that helped a lot. I had taken Dramamine and put on some motion sickness patches too to hopefully prevent getting sea sick.

Luckily, it ended up just being a little hang over for me. A couple hours in I was feeling much better. And then it was time to chum up the waters and set the lines.

Right away, we had something on one of the lines. And it was big. It was a blue marlin. Juan went to work it first, because they told us the blue marlins fight hard. Juan lasted about five solid minutes before he tapped Johnathon to take over. For a fish this big, you have to use the boat controls to help you bring it in. They got the marlin in right beside the boat before it came loose. It was a bummer, but you can’t keep the marlins anyway.

It took some time to get the next fish on the line, but sure enough we did. And then I was up. Mine was a striped marlin. Not as big as the blue, but at least we got mine up for a nice pic. Because of you didn’t get a pic, it didn’t happen lol. The striped ones don’t fight as hard as the blues, so I got it in by myself within five minutes. But my arms still had a nice pump.

We were struggling to find tuna for a while. Then on the radio someone called out where they were biting, so we headed that way. Then it got crazy.

To increase your odds, you put out more lines. Most of the day we had five lines out at one time. Once we found these schools of tuna, we would have them on the lines every few minutes. It was awesome. We sit for a minute, then there’s a bite and everyone jumps into action. Then another bite, and another! We had three fish on at the same time and it was chaos, but so fun at the same time.

I honestly got to the point where I started to dread the sound of the reels of another fish on the line. My hands and arms were so tired and needed every second of rest they can get.

Our haul was mostly small yellow finned tunas. Roughly 18” and weighed 15-20 lbs. I ended up bringing in the biggest tuna of the day. Just over 24”.

When we finally called it a day, we headed back to shore with our haul. We went back to the hotel room, cleaned up, and left again for dinner. Rick took us to this Italian restaurant that was delicious. I ordered a shrimp scampi, but when I saw the lasagna that Johnathon order, I’ll admit I was jealous. It was a solid brick of lasagna. He shared a bit with me, but kept the rest and I don’t blame him. Luckily, Rick ordered a few to go to take as our lunch on the boat tomorrow.

To end the day, we went back to the boat just to watch the Paul v. Tyson fight. It was quite underwhelming in my opinion. Rick and Johnathon fell asleep during it. Nor was it the outcome we hoped to see Tyson win.

*****************

I didn't get a write-up from Saturday/Sunday, but heard from Landon that they went back out Saturday, didn't catch anything. There was a LOT of tuna from Friday though ... and they sent it home with the guys. Packed it up with dry ice and had them take on the plane (seems like maybe it would have been easier to have it shipped?) So back at home, Landon has been giving out some tuna steaks, and looking up recipes!

Landon ~ Big Fish

Landon works for L.K.L. Associates in the roofing department. One of the shingle manufacturers had a trip planned for for several guys from L.K.L as well as some of their customers. They were off to Louisiana for some fishing! A four day trip, he headed out Monday, October 21 and returned Thursday October 24, two days traveling, two days on the water. Landon checked in with a write-up and some pictures ...

Day one ended up being a long day. We landed in New Orleans and had to wait roughly an hour for a car rental. After that, we were all quite hungry. We went to Texas Roadhouse simply because it was on the way to our destination and had a big group. We finished eating, but I happened to be with the subgroup that stayed out late to visit Bourbon Street. That ended up going much later than I had hoped. We didn’t get to our lodge until 3 am and we needed to be up by 5:30 am for breakfast before heading out on the water.

So after a mere two hour nap, we got up to get ready. The three who had been drinking didn’t get up in time to join us on the water today. I was paired up with one of the customers we invited and started catching speckled trout right away. Before I started catching the trout, I first caught a catfish, which needed to be released. The next fish I hooked after that I believe was the fish of the day for the whole group. It was a red fish bull, “bull” meaning it was too big to keep. It was 40” which is a gnarly fish to reel in. My partner was reeling in the trout super easy, but I had to fight this bull for a solid five minutes. My arms were so tired once I finally brought it in. I was a little nervous I wouldn’t be cut out to keep fishing the whole day, but that was by far the biggest fish I hooked.The spot we were getting the trout was amazing. We hit our limit of 30 within an hour. The rest of the day we looked for more red fish, but they were harder to find and trickier to reel in. Still an awesome time.

Finishing off our time on the water, we returned to the lodge, showered up, and took care of a bit of work. Then for dinner they prepped some of the trout we caught and it was glorious. I wanted more, but was completely stuffed. The rest of the evening was pretty chill. A bit of drinking and playing games, but I was so ready to hit the hay.

Day three was basically the same deal as day two. I was with two of the guys that missed the first day of fishing, so compared to them, I was feeling like a pro. We launched from a different area where there was a lot more open water. The first two spots we went to treated me so well. I’d cast my line and within seconds I’d have a bite. There were lots of small fish that we couldn’t keep, but I didn’t care. Just hooking a fish and reeling it in was a blast for me. Especially when I had a decent streak of five or six casts that I got to reel in. I didn’t hook anything crazy like the 40” red fish from day one, but I did reel in a decent 29” black fish that put up a fight. We made a competition of course for the biggest fish, but also for the fish with most spots. I thought that was lame compared to the biggest fish, until I reeled in one with 17 spots. Our guide hyped it up a lot and got me excited about it. To finish out the fishing for the day, we went to a very open area where we hooked up bigger fish. Oscar, one of the customers we invited on the trip reeled in the biggest fish on our boat. About a 31” red fish. To end the day back at the lodge, some of us tried to catch up on work and others just relaxed. A great day.

Thursday they finished up and made the flight home in the evening.

Back to work!

Landon - Blister Boy!

 

The Antelope Island Marathon had four distances. Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K. Landon opted for the 13.1 distance (half-marathon). He's been playing pickleball, and doing some running and hiking, but this was his first official race, and longest distance, since his ACL surgery last March. He didn't really even tell us about it until the day of ... Friday, October 11, 2024.

Per the race website: Antelope Island is home to 600 bison and the largest island on the Great Salt Lake. This course is a true marathon in that it is not all downhill like many. There are several rollers for the runners. The views of the race have the Great Salt Lake to the East and Antelope Island mountain on the West.

He said that his knee held up really well during the race, but that his shoes were rubbing pretty early one. Hot spot ... and big blister(s). He had to sit out pickleball that weekend. 

 

 

Landon's ACL

This will be backdated to March 2024

October 2023, Landon was helping move Aunt Ana out of her house, when a twist turned bad and Landon's knee was not doing well. He'd had some trouble with this knee for years ... so instead of getting it checked out, he just "rested"' it for a while. It didn't get better. Finally, in February of 2024 he followed up with some physical therapy, and they recommended an MRI. That revealed that he'd torn his ACL, and that there was likely damage to the meniscus as well. 

While never good news, it was especially frustrating having waited so long for the diagnosis. Had he found out immediately, he might have been able to almost recovered at this point! Additionally, he'd just moved into his own apartment ... on the fourth floor. But, needs must ... surgery was scheduled.

Knowing that he would need some care afterward, Landon came and "moved in" the night before. After Landon had moved out, we'd done a room rearrange here. Colton moved into Keaton's old room downstairs, and we turned the back bedroom into a spare room. Landon was our first guest. Probably not as nice as his OWN room had been here just a month earlier, but it would do. 

Early morning, we arrived at LonePeak hospital in Draper first thing. A nerve block done, then off to surgery, general anesthesia. It was all done around 9:00, and then it was a bit of a wait while the anesthesia wore off. Got him home and settled, iced up and prescriptions procured. Set a schedule to manage the pain meds. 

Oreo LOVED having Landon around.

Landon felt like he'd be able to handle things and moved back to his apartment on March 16. I did a little food prep and a couple grocery store runs in the following week or so, along with some ubering to doctor and physical therapy appointments. We had to do one follow-up at the hospital to check for blood clots (as the leg was a little red and swollen) but things were okay. Landon had taken a week off work, but then was able to return working remotely, and then catching a ride with a coworker for a few trips to the office. 

From crutches, to one crutch, to just the full knee-brace, then the knee sleeve ... getting back to some movements, some walking. He probably played pickleball sooner than medically advisable and as summer progressed ... a return to running and hiking. 

Adios ACL injury!

More Hikes!

The EMI/Symphony Hiking Challenge started in April and ran through the end of September. Here's a look at Hub's Hikes for August and September.  The first one was a doozy! Climbing Timpanogos in the dark, and waiting to watch the sunrise from the summit.  Landon went along with this hike too. 

With the work challenge, Grayson's been good at taking pictures and doing write-ups, which I've really appreciated! Here's the collage he created and his write-up below ...

Date - August 4th and 5th
Location - Timpooneke Trailhead to Mount Timpanogos Summit

First entry - 11:56 pm -
What the heck are we thinking?

Various take-aways from Mount Timpanogos -

1. I think one-and-done is just fine for this trail.
2. Sometimes bucket list items are for masochists.
3. Microspikes are the bomb-diggity for crossing ice fields.
4. "Sketchy" becomes a very common word.
5. As usual Zac's hiking outfit is on point. Very chic indeed.
6. Headlamps only last about 2-3 hours which is fine if your hike is 2-3 hours.
7. The last mile from saddle to summit is worse by far than the 6 or 7 that preceded it.
8. How in the living heck did people do this without GPS???
9. Shack graffiti includes some familiar first names. You were with us in spirit and Sharpie.
10. Space blankets save the day as body temps plummet waiting for the sunrise. We consider emergency hypothermia treatment.
11. Teens and 20-somethings arrive at the summit after a seemingly leisurely stroll to the top....sheesh...show-offs.
12. On the way down I count 321 hikers on their way up......Ha! suckerzzz....

And scene! Fade to black. Time to nap.

Grayson was in London/Paris for a couple weeks in August. He and Zach had debated an out-of-country hike, but had plenty of other sites to see. September started with SanDiego (which is where Gray and Landon did one of the first hikes back in April, this time with Coop and Keaton -no hike), then some final hikes to wrap up the challenge.

Monday, September 7, 2023 - Flag Rock

Grayson's write-up is below

My Symphony peeps, if you look yonder, directly east of our office, you see Deuel Creek Canyon. On the south side of the canyon is a flowy, beautiful hike that is ultra-popular - yes, I know you already know ;)  On the north side there is another hiking trail (or two or three). This trail is short, steep, cantankerous, inexplicably cruel and forsaken...kind of like a middle child (sorry if this is triggering). However, at the end of this trail, some dedicated soul or souls have hoisted a flag pole and of course an American Flag. No small effort here. My hats off to those who made this happen.

Now.... What if, just maybe, possibly a Symphony flag could accompany Old Glory, if only for a minute. Thanks to the ever-resourceful Caroline working with Zac to orchestrate (see what I did there) just one such flag. The pictures tell the tale....with one exception. The wind, which would normally accompany any morning in any canyon in the state, was completely silent. Like no wind. Our hope for flags unfurled and waving in the morning breeze was not to be. Alas.... Perhaps we return. Perhaps we don't. Either way, this one's in the books.

Thursday, September 14, 2023

No official write up of this hike, but Gray included a link to info about it. Click the link for a brief read - one of the cathartic benefits of the hike. 

Saturday, September 16

This new trail system is out by us, near Kennecott (err Rio Tinto).

I went and checked it out this last weekend. They've done a good job with it.

Saturday, September 16 was a big hiking day for Landon too. He hit Mount Olympus again, this time on his own - he didn't take pictures. These are a few photos from the first/June trip (Hikes~June/July) that I didn't have when I made the collage about that hike ... so I'm going to put them here anyway! 

Saturday - September 23 - Donut Falls

Wednesday, September 27 

When recapping his morning to me in an email the next day  Gray wrote "I'm dealing with some real residual fatigue from my hike. It wasn't particularly strenuous though Mueller is a bit longer than some of the usuals - 7 miles in total. It was a gorgeous day and the colors were well worth the jaunt." I love the shadow selfie ;) 

Friday, September 29

Lake Mary, Lake Martha, Lake Catherine ... Gray got off work a little early and Zach and Landon joined for a Friday afternoon hike.  The official Symphony Hiking challenge has ended ... much to the relief of Janet in the office, who had to handle the photos and write ups. It's a little hard to see in the photos, but Gray and Zach got matching "King of the Hill" sweatshirts for all their outdoor activities!

In the original post about the Symphony Hiking Challenge, there was a picture showing the progress. This timeline ended up taking over the room! A simple photo couldn't capture everything by the end (and Gray didn't even include several of his hikes). You can see it HERE. There were a few BIKE (not HIKE) alternate activities too!

Landon Spartan

 

The Spartans arose from the city-state of Sparta of ancient Greece. They were a warrior society that paid homage to the values of honor, duty, discipline, and endurance. Values that have led to their being regarded as some of the fiercest warriors history has ever known. And while their legacy still inspires and instructs professional warriors who are actually involved in armed conflict to this day; their legacy is equally as inspiring to everyday people. Why? Because we are all warriors. We all fight wars, be they internal struggles with motivation, our purpose, our relationships, etc… or external struggles like struggling for the flourishing of our careers, the survival of our businesses, or the advancement of our dreams (From The Strive).

Inspired by the Spartan legacy, taking the traditional 5k a few steps further, a Spartan Race is a series of obstacle races of varying difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances. These races are held in the United States and have been franchised to 30 countries, including Canada, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and several European countries. I'm not sure what inspired Landon to look into such a race, but he did. He signed up and completed it. I asked him to write up a few memories ...

Today I completed my first Spartan race. I hadn't really looked into what the race would entail until the night before. A few YouTube videos later I was feeling confident and prepared for the race. The Spartan took place at the Snow Basin resort. I had to miss our family pickleball, but the run was honestly a ton of fun. There are three races: 5K, 10K, and 21K. I signed up for the 10K ...  and it kicked my butt. It was silly to think the 5K would’ve been too easy, when that’s maybe what I should’ve started with.

For the 10K race, we had 26 obstacles, and I’m proud to say I only failed one! Said obstacle was a wall that you needed to move horizontally across using only grips for your hands; no support for your feet. I’m sure I would’ve figured it out if I took my time, but I was feeling rushed as this was one of the first obstacles. One aspect of this race that ended up being most challenging for me was the elevation. I believe it was 1,300 ft of elevation, which is insane. Somehow I ran the first mile of incline, and it about slaughtered me. From there I decided to hike the inclines and save the running for the declines.

Most of the obstacles were entertaining and genuinely fun. The obstacles that were the buggers were all the carries. Carry a sand bag from here to there. Carry an atlas stone from here to there. And carry a bucket of rocks from here to there. You get the idea. Something I learned from YouTube was the importance of keeping your hands clean for some obstacles. There are a number of monkey bar-like challenges. Unfortunately one of them ripped up my left hand a bit. I looked ahead hoping that the remaining obstacles didn’t require my hands. ... but that was not to be. There was even a legit rope climb! For being one of those classic PE class activities featured in movies, this was my first ever attempt. I saw others using a technique with their feet, but I just brute forced through it. My favorite obstacle was the Hercules Hoist. It was a sandbag attached to a rope and run through a pulley. The objective is to pull the other end of the rope to raise the sandbag to the top, and bring it back down softly. I quickly noticed that the technique was to use your bodyweight to hoist up the bag. You jump up the rope a bit, throw your body back, and repeat. I thought it was so fun (even though the previous obstacle had just ripped up my hand!)  One of the final obstacles was a 5’ hurdle. Leading into the jump for the first one, my right calve almost cramped on me. Luckily I shook it off and finished the race. 

For whatever reason I didn’t eat breakfast before, which wasn’t great, but nor was a real issue. Overall, I felt really good about the race. It was a challenge for sure, but I'm glad to say I conquered it.

 You can read a little more about the event and see some pictures HERE.

Golf Guys

 

Grayson had a work golf tourney ... he's not a big golfer but figured he'd support Symphony's Rob, who is head of the HBA. He invited Landon to join (Landon has been entertaining at LKL and thought golf skills/experience might come in handy). Both guys came back with red necks after the sun sans sunscreen. 

There were stations set up at the various holes ... Gray took a moment to snap a selfie (ussie) there by the WCF one and sent it to Scottie. Other than some exhaustion, there were no injuries.

Gray had been utilizing ChatGPT for his activity summaries for Symphony. He asked Chat CPT to write a short satirical ode to four sojourners set off on golf’s long travail. Prompts ... Brandon, Landon, Grayson and Cole. 18 long holes. Birdies but few. Long balls so many. Brandon’s boonie on fleek. Cole’s driver so sleek. Landon’s attire so chic. Golf cart stuck in reverse. Will this course never end?

Oh, gather 'round and listen close,

To the tale of four golfers who dared to impose,

Upon a course, a challenge so grand,

But little did they know, things would get out of hand.

Brandon, Landon, Grayson, and Cole,

Embarked on a journey, with golf as their goal,

But birdies were scarce, lost balls aplenty,

Their dreams of glory, vanishing gently.

Brandon's boonie on fleek, oh so stylish,

But his swing, oh dear, it was quite childish,

The ball flew astray, no direction in sight,

As he adjusted his hat, full of false delight.

Cole, with his sleek driver, oh so pristine,

Believed he was destined for a golfing queen,

But alas, his shots went amiss, far and wide,

His dreams of triumph, quickly defied.

Landon, in attire so chic, so refined,

But his fashion sense couldn't save his scoreline,

As the ball rolled and tumbled, lost in the rough,

He realized fashion couldn't make his game tough.

And poor Cole, what a sight to behold,

His golf cart stuck in reverse, a tale untold,

He revved and he struggled, but no progress he made,

As he cursed his luck, his plans began to fade.

Will this course never end? they groaned and they sighed,

As the hours dragged on, their patience was tried,

The lost balls, the misfires, the cart stuck in reverse,

The golfing gods surely had them under a curse.

But amidst the chaos, a lesson was learned,

That golf is a game where fortunes are turned,

With humor and laughter, they persevered,

Their misadventures, memories revered.

So raise your clubs and toast to this crew,

Brandon, Landon, Grayson, and Cole, so true,

For in their golfing travails, a bond did form,

And though the course seemed endless, their spirits were warm.

A look at Landon in 2023 (above) ... and a flashback to his younger years in 2009 (below).

A Super 5K

Ever since my #4 ran a race last year (My Little Man Ran) he'd wanted to try it again. Hubs health slipped, and I certainly didn't feel up to it (anxiety issues dealing more with driving there, checking in, dealing with crowds affect me more than the actual "running" although that is a challenge for me too!) But big brother came home from his mission to Mexico, and he said he'd be willing to go give it a try. So I scanned the local 5k races and signed the boys up.

It was the end of April, and it was COLD. The boys almost wimped out due to the weather. But after paying the registration fees (I think it was $35 a person) I told them they better not wimp out. The theme was "Calling All Heroes" ... and they dressed up appropriately (minus capes). They both had on Superhero socks too!

I watched (stalked) them with the Find my Friends app, and noticed they stayed together the entire time. #1 pushed #4 a little ... and they crossed the finish line together. There were 74 racers, and the Blackham boys took 4th and 5th. Not sure WHY it says my #4 is 98 years of age (he's thirteen). Maybe I did a typo on the entry? Probably would have been first in his age division, if they'd had age divisions.

... another race under #4's belt. Speaking of belts, Hubs had purchased a Flipbelt ages ago, and had never worn it. We'd pulled it out when #1 son started running and he loves it. I guess I might need to invest in another one!

He's HOME

Gray, Landon and Maga had been checking in from Mexico ... and then, they were on their way back to the US of A. We headed out to the airport and stood in the "returning missionary" spot, watching the escalator and ...

Landon snuck in behind us.

International travel came in a different door.

 There was a lot of hugging and picture taking.

All together again!

Exploring Mexico!

Where in the World is Grayson Blackham?

As Elder Blackham's mission to Mexico came to its conclusion, Grayson thought it would be great to go and pick Landon up. They could travel around for a bit, see the sites, explore the country, before heading home. Maga decided to go too, and the two of them took off.

... and, together again!

My men and Maga visited a bunch of different places, experimented with the cuisine,  and met quite a few friends and families Elder Blackham had worked with in his two years there. Grayson took a TON of pictures, and kept family back home updated on our doings via group text and Facebook. I uploaded the photos into an album (Blackham Mexico 2017). 

I've also included a few favorites below. 

... and then, it was time to head home.

by bus, from Puebla to Mexico City 

Then the flight home ...

We were waiting ...