Sunday, April 14, 2024

5k - Coop and Gray

 

Gray had run a race or two with work buddies, and had more planned. I encouraged him to find something a little more local and get Coop out. Cooper has been getting in a lot of running on the treadmill in the basement gym. He'd done a few 5ks before and was definitely in shape. Gray found a race in Sandy. It was a trail run, so a little more challenging than a standard 5k.  But on Saturday, April 13, Grayson and Cooper headed out to hit the trail.  They both took 1st place in their age divisions.




Because they had both placed, they stuck around for their awards and pictures. 


Interesting to see all the stats!



Not sure how long the Google album will stay active  ... it was nice that there was a photographer there to get some shots before, during and after. I snagged the ones I wanted to keep, you can see the rest HERE


Saturday, March 30, 2024

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!


Monday, March 25, 2024

Home Sweet ... Change

Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes ... lots of shifting and adjustments to the abode(s) here in the first quarter of 2024. Keaton's lease was up and he was looking for a new place to live, and Landon decided it was time to try things out on his own. Both boys made moves, and that resulted in room rearranges here at home too ...

Landon found an apartment at ParcView ... 4th (top) floor in Midvale. Close to the freeway with some nice mountain views. Pool and gym. One reserved covered parking spot. Not far from the family home, so he can still easily come to visit. Landon made the move on January 27. Dad brought the big trailer, and Cal, Keaton and Cooper all helped.
Landon added a cute coffee table after this picture was taken.
Here's a little video tour before moving in.

... I thought I had taken a picture of the guys in front of the trailer (like the one from Keaton's move, below), there was the pose and the click, or at least I thought there was. My finger must have missed pressing the button.  I asked Landon if he was lonely at all on his own, but he said it's been rather nice. Of course that was right before he was diagnosed with a torn ACL and Meniscus and would need surgery.  Then, living alone and on the fourth floor wasn't the best plan (there IS an elevator, but he came back home to stay for a week after the surgery). 

Keaton had been checking out a lot of places, not able to find the right fit, right price. He has a couple buddies from high school that he was thinking of getting a place with ... bachelor pad and all that.  Finally, it worked out. A townhome in Daybreak (again, not too far from us, so he can still drop by easily, yeah!) The move was Sunday, March 24. Landon was still stationary after surgery, but Dad, Cal and Coop (and I helped a little, but mainly just wanted to get some pictures) were there to move things, and it went really quickly. You can see his old place here (Keaton's Corner). 

Daybreak is a unique community - lots of walkways, no fences or personal yards. These townhomes are set up in rows, there's a street to access the garages/both sides of the street ... his place has a garage, although he has his car and a work van, so he has to find a spot on the street to park one of them. The entrances are accessible from a walkway on the other side (top right picture below).

This one is almost fully furnished (except for the bedroom) ... living room furniture, barstools, kitchenware, washer/dryer. So most of Keaton's furniture and kitchen supplies are now in storage. Nice shutters on the windows, Nest thermostat, gas stove (his first time with that). Two story, bedrooms upstairs. Keaton got the "master" with the private bath, and the other two bedrooms share a bath. There's a half bath on the bottom level. 

Landon had been in the front bedroom at the Blackham home ... Colton was in the other upstairs bedroom, and Keaton's former room downstairs was where we'd put the old king-size bed when we got a new bed set for the master. With a little wiggle room (the basement room/closet had some storage stuff in it - moved it to the vacated front bedroom) we let Colton move down to the basement bedroom. He gets the king sized bed, because as Grayson moved it down he said "I'm not moving this again" and Colton's old bed/room on the main floor is now a spare bedroom (which came in handy when Landon needed to "move in" for a bit after his surgery ... or when someone snores. I won't say who "someone" is ...)

Colton is pretty pleased with his new setup downstairs.
Larger bed, larger room, a little more secluded than the main level next to the master.


This basement bedroom #2 has had several uses/users ... it was unfinished originally, with shelves and storage. After we finished the basement (bathroom/hall and two bedrooms, the big family room had been finished earlier) we had boys in the corner bedroom (#1) and this was the "lego room" with tables set up for the kids to keep their creations on. It shifted into a few other things ... a scrapbook room for Jen, a den for Grayson. Ultimately, it became "middle earth" where everything/anything "precious" (or that we didn't know where else to put) was stored/stashed. When Landon came home from his mission, it was time to turn it into a bedroom for Callahan. When Cal married and moved out,  Keaton moved in(down) ... now it's Colton's turn. It's interesting to look back on the different posts and pictures and the different arrangements of this room. 2020/2021, 2017, 2014 ...

The main floor has three bedrooms - this one is down the hall next to the master. It's was Landon's room when he was little and we only had a couple kids. Then he shared it with Callahan for a couple years. It had a queen bed, and at one point, it was the bedroom of Keaton, Cooper and Colton! All bundled up on that one bed and stuff crammed into one closet. Then we got a bunk bed to replace the queen ... then moved the bunk downstairs (putting Cal and Keaton downstairs first ... then when Landon left on his mission, Cal moved to the front bedroom, Keaton moved into this bedroom, with a twin bed, and the two littles and the bunk bed moved downstairs to the corner bedroom).  

Check out previous posts/pictures: 2022 ... it was Colton's room, upgraded to a full bed. 2017 ... a slight switch-up (headboard/desk, still Keaton's corner) as we rearranged as Landon came home from his mission and needed a spot.  2016 ... a peek at the room as Keaton's room,  2015 ... when Landon left and this became Keaton's room, when we painted the wall. 2011 (mostly about the front room, but shows the queen bed/sleeping of this bedroom and some history). 

The front room has it's own history ... it was the Noah Nursery to start. Little Landon was a year old when we moved in (and he had the bedroom next to the master, when he wasn't sleeping in with Mom&Dad anyway) but as each baby came along, the front bedroom was the baby's room ... until 2011 when Landon was the first of the five boys to get his own room (then Cal, then Keaton, a school setup, and back to Landon). What to do with the room now? How about a den/library? Keaton's comfy chair from storage, the corner desk (which has made the round of rooms before). A spot for Cooper's computer, a place for anyone to work, new home of the color printer (and storage of an extra television).  The bookcases and books, which had been banished to Cooper's bedroom in the basement (just because there was some room there) are now more front and center ... fitting, with Jen's new Little Free Library and her renewed collection of physical books. 






I'm glad I've documented the changing of the rooms ... who was where, what the decor was, even the changing beds/sizes is interesting to note. The corner basement bedroom (currently Cooper's room) never got many pictures (do I have any of the bunk bed, upstairs or down?) and not many of the master (switched out the bed/bedset March 2023). 

All the posts above and more are labeled with Home Sweet Home ...
I need to create a post about the Courtney Court House, the Midvale House and the Linden Basement apartment ... not sure how many pictures there are of those.  You can go back even further and check out the post about the old Westra home where Jen grew up (The Hermitage House). 

As Landon moved out, he left quite a few clothes ... nothing like moving to make you examine if something is worth packing and lifting and finding a new space for.  I looked through them and had Colton double check a few (he kept some). As Colton moved his closet downstairs, he probably only took half of his stuff ... definitely time for a purge! That empty front bedroom came in handy as I filled it with stuff, and sorted it all into boxes and bags. I had Cooper go through his drawers/closet too, as long as we were doing this! 

Colton had quite a bit of Wolves gear (his basketball team) he'd outgrown. I contacted Coach Phil (who has a younger son, and younger Wolves) to ask if they'd like the clothes/uniforms to pass on to the next pack, and he said yes. There was a lot of West Jordan Jags stuff too ... again, I asked Coach Wouden to see if used but in great condition gear could be of use, and he happily accepted a bag full. I set aside some smaller, but good condition clothes for younger cousins on the Blackham side, and on the Westra side, I asked my brother Chris if any of his crew would be around, and if a detour to West Jordan would be worth it to look over anything. He said Camden and Cayson would be around and willing to come out, so again, I sorted ... things that really just needed to go to goodwill, and what was worth passing on (for them to look though, and then likely send a portion on to DI too!) Totally packed their car, from top to bottom! Camden even had a big box on his lap. And I still had a load for DI that filled up the Durango. But whew ... nice to get that done.

Not really related to the moves/rearrange ... but still home related, Keaton was over and noticed the dust collecting on the ceiling fan blades. He cleaned them all off ... what a great kid!  Next up ... addressing the mold situation in the basement bathroom. 

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Off-Road Reality

Off-Roading ... in the RZRs and side-by-sides. Rock crawling. Getting into some sticky spots! Back in December when Gray and Jon hit St. George for some fun, then ended up being featured on a YouTuber's channel: Matt's Off-Road Recovery. When you break down out in the red rocks and sand, you are stuck! You can see the "rescue" HERE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vta1JRLAgY&t=2s). There are two stories, Jon's rig is the first one. 



Grayson got a NEW toy in February ... he and some buddies took it out on it's maiden voyage on March 3. It would be its only time out. It was insured, although payment didn't cover the full cost of the machine.





From this (above) ... to this (below)

Luckily everyone was okay for the most part. Grayson got a cut on his head and bunged up his shoulder. It was just a fluke accident. They weren't even going very fast, just hit a slick spot, slid, and when the machine hit a spot with some traction, it grabbed and momentum took it over onto its side. There was even a little video going (during, and after. See it HERE).  They had a bit of a cold walk back to the truck, and they were able to get the  machine back up and onto the trailer. Grayson had hoped it might be repairable ... but it was totaled. 

Gray and Jon were back to the red rocks just a few weeks later ...
March 22, 2024

... and oops!




Boys and their toys!
It's been a rough year for the RZRs ... and it's not over yet!






Canyonlands Half Marathon & Moab Adventures

 


The first Canyonlands Half Marathon was run on May 1, 1976 had just 22 finishers, including a dog. It's been a popular race ... downhill grade, lovely surroundings. Grayson ran this race back in 2009 and decided to try it again in 2024, 15 years later. This time he was joined by a number of Symphony peeps ... they work and play  together (if running 13.1 miles can be considered "fun"). 


In the listed course information ... "Lucky runners will start at Sandy Beach, a boat launching site located next to the Colorado River. Pre-race jitters are replaced the excitement as runners take in awe inspiring views of towering red rock canyon walls and the red reflections of the rising sun. The course will travel east for a half mile before turning around and heading down river toward the Moab Valley. After traveling down post-card alley for the entirety of the race, runners will finish at the ever beautiful Lions Park, adjacent to Arches National Park."   Lowest Point 3961'   Highest Point 4088'  Elevation Gain 443'  Elevation Loss 531'  

Here's some stats ...


... and a live peek at the finish line

 

https://youtu.be/TxG2VgMhrfc


While in Moab, GB and buddies also hit the trails, on foot, and on the machines.


Grayson has three more half-marathons planned for 2024.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Cal and Kate in Cabo

Cal and Kate headed to Mexico for some fun in the sun the first week of March. They stayed at a resort in Cabo and there's a plethora of pictures to capture their time there.
 

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Colton -Basketball Senior Showcase

Colton finished up his senior season here in February 2024. It's been a great year, and hopefully there is still more basketball in his future. 

Here's a little look at his Senior Showcase for for Senior night ...



...and a closer look at the collages *Ü*
A walk down the basketball memory lane.
Starting small ... lots of little jerseys and Junior Jazz 

A family photos feature ...

Elementary years ...
Originally Colton played for the Copper Hills Grizzlies (following in his brother's footsteps). 

... we still weren't sure of future playing plans in 7th grade. Colton attended Elkridge Middle while we watched school boundary discussions. When Copper Hills still looked extremely overpopulated (we'd been told we could get a permit, but ...) and Colton had a couple good friends on his Wolves team going to West Jordan, we decided we'd just stick with our boundary school. Colton switched from Elkridge to Joel P Jenson for middle school, and immediately started playing for the Jags Bantam team. 

Colton first met Coach Phil (and Gage and Collin and crew) way back in 3rd grade, playing on a 3rd/4th team at Gene Fullmer. They ended up playing up the  next year (and Colton was already a grade younger) so we parted ways for a couple years (Colton joined the Grizzlies Bantam team). We crossed paths with Phil again, who now had an AAU team, the Wolves, and they happily they accepted Colton into the pack. Colton and the Wolves played together for several years, in local tournaments and leagues, and doing some traveling. The team shifted and changed a bit over the years, but Colton, Collin and Gage remained close, and played together for West Jordan in high school. 

Colton continued to play whenever he could, with a variety of teams. Showtime was an "off season" team with Coach Sawyer ... sometimes made of WJ Jags, other times compiled of other kids Coach Sawyer was working with.  More Wolves. More West Jordan Jags in Spring or Fall. Colton joined the Salt Lake Metro the summer before his senior year and traveled to three tournaments with them. He'd also jump onto Cal's Men's League team when they needed an extra player. 

Shortly before his senior year, Colton was invited to play in the Utah Top50 league, and that was a lot of fun. Games were played at SLCC, with the final games downtown at the Delta Center, NBA court!

West Jordan was a great experience for Colton.  
Lots of fun on and off the court!

Some Senior snapshots ... and a look at his program pictures/profile over his four years.

Colton got some Varsity minutes as a freshman (he even started once) but mostly played Soph/JV his freshman year. Freshman year was impacted by Covid (from tryouts to games) but we are glad that they still got to play! You can read more about Colton's Freshman Year on the BlackhamBall blog. 

Colton's Sophomore season ... he didn't play in any of the sophomore games. He was JV and Varsity. There was a strong senior presence, but Colton got some playing time and points and started a couple times. 

Colton's Junior Year - while not a senior, he started every game (except for the final "senior night" ... and he got subbed in pretty quick) and was the leading scorer and assist leader on the team. Check out the BlackhamBall post for the schedule, video links, highlights and more. 

Senior year was great. The season started off a little rough, as it was a tough pre-region lineup. Only one win there. But as soon as 2024 rolled in, and region play began ... the Jags went on a winning run. Undefeated 13-0 until their elimination during the state playoffs. 
So many videos, #mycoltonclips and pictures! The team contracted with a professional photographer who covered multiple games. Love having so many photos and great action shots! There were a couple other photographers at other games, and we purchased a few of those pictures too.

More on the BlackhamBall Blog wrapping up Colton's senior season ... 
and other Blackham Ball. 




Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Cal&Kate Collages (Family Photoshoot)

Last fall, Cal and Kate adopted a little doggie, Vera. The cute couple, now a trio, had a photo shoot done. Fabulous photos! Here's some favorites ...


Callahan almost always has a cap on ... 
so they had to get some with a slight change of clothes, hat added. 

This post will be backdated to January 2024. 

Sunday, December 31, 2023

2023 Annual Recap


I need to do a better, in-depth review of the year. Very belatedly, I did get around to doing monthly updates at least, as well as a few posts on specific topics/events. I really like having all the important stuff from the whole year in one post, at a glance. Hopefully I'll get around to updating this *Ü*  Here's the little Christmas write-up for the Westra newsletter ...

The West Jordan Blackhams have stayed busy and active this year. Grayson is working hard at Symphony Homes, but found time to do a lot of hiking. He got on his machines (RZR, waverunners) and took a few trips (California and Europe/England/Paris). Jen has continued baking sourdough, teaching Zumba and listening to endless audiobooks. Landon is busy with work at LKL Associates. He got a new car, and also did quite a bit of hiking. Cal and Kate have a new addition – an adopted doggy named Vera who keeps them on their toes. Cal is working with Camsen Electric and Kate works at SLCC. Keaton is living on his own in a cute basement apartment. He left Camsen to try his hand at commercial work but decided to return to Camsen with his residential journeyman's license. Cooper is working full-time for DLP Unlimited. He plays pickleball and ping-pong and does lots of jogging in the home gym. It's football season, and his fantasy team is currently doing well. Colton ... plays basketball. He started varsity his junior year and now again for his senior season. He traveled with Metro in the Summer, played in the UtahTop50 league in the Fall, and is hoping to play college ball. Landon and Callahan have had some knee issues and Jen had another 'episode' in April (ambulance/ER & more medical tests). We're hoping everyone stays happy and healthy for the New Year! 

Here's all twelve of the 1 Second Every Day videos compiled into one ...

Saturday, December 30, 2023

December 2023

 

December is done ... of course there was Christmas. The final month of the year is always filled with family and fun, and this year was no exception. There was the Blackham Family gathering on Sunday,  December 17, complete with the cash cube again. The Westra family party was Christmas Eve (also a Sunday) hosted at Shane and Alicia's place again. Soups and breads and desserts. There was the annual dice game (should it be called the "candy bar game" when so many things other than candy bars are included?). The annual calendars were passed out, and the slide show was shown.  Grayson had a Casino Christmas party with Symphony homes (earlier in the month on Dec7) and donned antlers to pass out gifts.

Jen got out the santa and elf hats, and the reindeer antlers and brought them to Zumba and Pickleball too. Add in a little festivity. At home, the tree was put up with a few ornaments (including a cute new one from bookclub). The stockings were hung, as well as a few of the usual decor items (the Santa head full of M&Ms, a few signs, the little elves that rock walk down the slope, a couple nutcrackers). Keaton was our "elf"  getting things out and up. 

Basketball was in full swing with nine games and the start of team dinners. It was also Colton's birthday! I bought two cakes, so he could have one with his team (on his birthday, team dinner) and one with family the day after. 

Not really a birthday or Christmas gift ... but Colton got a new phone. His first NEW phone (he's always had hand-me-downs before). His had died suddenly, and luckily there was a sale on. Gray upgraded Cooper's phone too (his battery wasn't holding a charge). 

Gray had a get-away to St. George at the start of the month. Had some trouble and needed a tow with Jon's RZR (ended up being rescued by a viral YouTuber, see it HERE). Symphony Casino Christmas, and he apparently didn't have enough basketball watching Colton, as he had a night with his work buddies in a suite watching the Jazz. Landon spent a few days in Vernal running the LKL store there (so the manager could take a vacation) and then went with a friend to an NFL game on Christmas Day.  Quick trip. 

Here's a look at December ... One Second Style

https://youtu.be/6OXEk68451E?si=1q__JdQ-kYfxvN9j
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