Can You Do Me A Favor - Re. TSA

Can everyone do me a favor? Please don't fly until the TSA and the Federal Government changes the policy of looking at nude images and/or groping passengers. If we all stop paying for tickets, hotels, entertainment, etc. at our vacation destinations, those businesses will help solve this debacle.

Those who give up Liberty for Security will get neither.

If you don't see any problem with the policies, please consider this. Your constitutional rights are being given away. You may think that it is only at the airport, but that is only the case right now. We are slowly being conditioned to accept it. It will soon be mandatory in other places as well. That is how it has always worked.

If you think about Social Security for example, it was initially voluntary, and the fund could never be touched by Congress. That has been changed by degrees until the politicians have depleted the fund, and made it mandatory to participate.

Anything we submit to now will come back to haunt us down the road. So please, please, don't submit to this unseemly and outrageous practice.

Did I Mention?

Did I mention my husband is an IRONMAN? Well in case you missed it, HE IS!!!

Aaron finished the 1st St. George Ironman on May 1, 2010. They say it is the hardest of all of the Ironman races because of the terrain.

It all started in the early morning darkness. We got to the reservoir/lake where the swimming portion of the race would be held while it was still dark. They bussed us in to the area because of unsufficient parking in the area (plus all 1000+ athletes would be speeding down the roads on their bikes in a few hours).

We were lucky enough to find Aaron before he got into the water. They were telling everyone that the water would be about 63 - 67 degrees or so before the race. Not by a long shot. It was 54 degrees if I remember correctly. So a wetsuit was a must!

As you can see we brought the boys with us. Rebecca & Katie stayed with my mom, and Anson & Spencer tagged along with Aaron's parents and I. They were both so good.

I wonder what it is like to be facing 17 hours worth of exercising? He looks to be in good spirits, but boy would I be nervous if it were me!

It was incredible watching everyone in the water. There were SO MANY people in there! Aaron had people kicking him from all sides, someone almost grabbed his goggles off his face, and people were grabbing at him from behind as they all made their way around the 4000 meter course.

(I just swam 400 meters in a heated swimming pool a couple of weeks ago. That was pretty crazy. 4000 meters in 54 degree water? I don't think so!!!)

Aaron made it through the swim after about 1 hour and 17 minutes. Then it was on to the bike transition. He spent quite a while getting ready, and we were lucky once again to see him before he started the ride.

Aaron finished the bike portion with a little less than 30 minutes before the cut off time. He had some trouble with flat tires and such, and almost crashing a time or two. I know the Lord was watching out for him. He started the run in good spirits and stopped to tell us a little about his biking adventures. Then it was off to start his marathon around 5:30 PM!

We saw him once again as he finished the first half of the marathon. He was feeling really lousy at this point. His stomach hurt pretty bad and he could barely walk. He took some advil and kept going though. What a trooper. He figured at this point that if he could keep up a 4 mph walk, he would be able to make it by the midnight cut off time. There was no way he could run at that point.

He came walking in to a hero's welcome about 6 minutes before midnight. It was a party out there as everyone was cheering the last finishers of the 2010 St. George Ironman. All along the way people had been cut off at certain points, and this was the last cut-off. If you don't make it by midnight, you are not considered an "Ironman".

He was given a metal blanket thing to keep warm, had his picture taken, had some pizza and was ready to head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep!

As a follwer of an athlete at the St. George Ironman, I have to say that I had a great day. It was so fun going around to try to see him at different points, and making sure he saw us. Unfortunately I had a fever the next day, but it was well worth it.

I can't say that I want him to do it again though. It takes too much time to prepare. I might consider one of the 1/2 Ironmans at some point in the future. In a few years maybe...

I Guess It's Time

I decided to break down and finally write a blog post. Don't get too excited though - I'm not posting any pictures. Way too much work. So here is what we have been up to since February, in a nutshell:

February:
Katie turned 2!
Aaron took Rebecca & Katie to a Daddy/Daughter Valentine's Ball
Rebecca took Ice Skating Lessons
I went to my first Blue & Gold Banquet
Also went to my first Cub Scout Day Camp

March:
Rebecca took more Ice Skating Lessons - moved up to Basic 2
Anson played T-Ball
Rebecca went on a Kindergarten Field Trip to Superstition Farm
Rebecca was in the Mesa Easter Pageant with her Grandma Margaret
We went to the Easter Pageant twice

April:
Thomas Reunion (Aaron's mom's side of the family)
Anson turned 4!
Had a Pirate Birthday Party for Anson

May:
Aaron finished the St. George IRONMAN!!!
Rebecca finished her 2nd year of Let's Play Music (highly recommend)
Rebecca continued Ice Skating Lessons, moved up to Basic 3
Went on a tour of the new Gila Valley Temple and visited Aaron's cousin Stephanie (love her!)
I turned 28
Aaron and Anson went on a Father/Son campout
I made curtains for the girl's room (with help from my mom)
Aaron brought home a goldendoodle puppy - we named her Scout

June:
Rebecca was in an Ice Skating Show - the Lion King!
Went to San Diego when Aaron had a work something or other there. My sister Erica came too and we hung out, went to the beach, and went to Seaworld
Went to see Toy Story 3 - I cried!
Rebecca started summer dance lessons w/ her cousin Alana

July:
Aaron went on the Mount Zion Encampment w/ the Priests
Went to see Annie Get Your Gun at Hale Center Theater - loved it!
Went to UT for the Markham & Richmond Reunions (my mom's side of the family)
Rebecca turned 6!
Rebecca & I took Ice Skating Lessons together - Rebecca moved up to Basic 4, I was in Adult 1-2

August:
Rebecca's summer dance recital
Ward Campout - Aaron took Rebecca & Anson & Katie while I relaxed!
Had a flower birthday party for Rebecca
Ran in the Flagstaff 5K w/ Aaron (took about 36 minutes - I never said I was fast)
Checked out the new MIM (musical instrument museum)
Aaron went fishing in Alaska for 10 days w/ Brother Rasmussen & Jake from C.G.
Rebecca started 1st Grade
Anson started his 2nd year of Preschool
Rebecca started 3rd year of Let's Play Music

September:
Spencer turned 1!
Celebrated 7th Anniversary (Aaron was in Alaska during the real deal) Best thing I ever did was marry Aaron. How did I get so lucky to get the perfect man for me?
Anson started 1st year of Let's Play Music
Went on a quick trip to Orlando, FL to visit my sister Dana who is working at Disney World for the semester.
I started Ballet. Guess what? I LOVE Ballet! I'm not necessarily very good at it, but I LOVE it!

October:
Aaron got a new calling - Assistant Scout Master
Pirates of Penzance with my sister Julie while Aaron went camping with the scouts
Went to Time Out for Women w/ my sister Julie
Anson started playing Soccer
Sold out dog Scout - let's just say I have discovered for sure that I am not a dog (or any animal really) person. Also, I'm pretty sure Aaron & Anson were allergic to her. I think it is the dander, because she was supposed to be hypoallergenic. The lady that bought her has a lot of land down in Tucson. She has other animals, so Scout will have a good family there.
Took CPR Certification class
Hosted a Baby Shower for my SIL Maria
Went to the ward Fall Festival to celebrate Halloween
Rebecca was Cinderella, Anson was Davy Crockett, Katie was a Butterfly, and Spencer was Woody
Spencer took his first steps on Halloween

November:
In charge of Benefit Dinner/Auction to help pay for medical bills for Aaron's mom (she had cancer, and is currently in remission, but still has to be on medication)
Finished C.G. Triathlon - 400 meter swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run
Anson - Soccer
Went to Bounce-U for Veteran's Day
Went to the Boy Scout benefit Auction
Went to Stake Conference

So that sums it up. Now I won't have to feel guilty about all of the stuff I missed and can pick up from here!

Every Picture Has A Story

I was tagged by Elise.


This picture is of Rebecca's 2nd Birthday. I think that is Lily helping her open her present. We had her party at Canyon Villas over by Desert Ridge and went swimming after opening the presents. Katie has recently been wearing the same sandals Becca is wearing in the picture.

I tag Carrie.

1. Open your first picture folder.

2. Upload the 10th picture in the folder (if there aren't 10, go to the next folder with 10 pictures in it).

3. Tell us the story behind the picture.

4. Tag at least 1 friend to do the same.

Quick Update

Wow - 2010 is flying by. Highlights for February:
- Aaron ran in the Sedona Marathon, his first full marathon (His time was 6 hrs. 6 min. We have a lot of work ahead of us for the Iron Man. Truthfully he was not prepared at all. I'm just glad he survived it. I guess he knows how long 26 miles really is now...)
- Had Rebecca's friend from school come to play. Bella is the daughter of my friend Shari from High School. Good to visit with her too!
- Aaron's Grandmother passed away at age 80. She was such a kind person. I always felt like she loved me like one of her own grandkids. I'm so glad I got to know her and we went to visit just 5 days before her stroke.
- I played the piano at Grandma Manning's funeral, accompanying Maria and Christina. Not sure why they would want ME to play...
- Aaron gave the Plan of Salvation talk at the funeral and played "Consider the Lilies" for Jordan Bluth who sang at the funeral. I turned the pages while he played. Are we sensing that maybe there was a little too much of Aaron and Andrea at the funeral?
- Daddy/Daughter Valentine Ball. Rebecca and Katie got new "ball" dresses and rode in a carriage. Sounded like a lot of fun.
- Valentine Dinner at Fogo de Ciao. We went on Saturday night and it was still crazy busy (but oh, so delicious!). We got a complimentary dinner too. Oh darn! I guess we'll have to go back!
- Annual Tollefsen Valentine dinner/party.
- My first Blue and Gold Banquet!
- Aaron's first high adventure trip with the priests. He gets to try out snowboarding for the first time. I'm really glad he is in good shape for it!
- My niece gets baptized tomorrow! She is the first one of the cousins to get baptized, so we are glad she is setting a good example for our kids!

Coloring For A Cure

My nephew Tate has been really concerned about Grandma Margaret. So much so that he has come up with as many ways as he can think of to help make money for her medicine. He is only 5 years old, but has raised over $100 for her so far. One of his great ideas was to color pictures and sell them for $, then give the $ to Grandma for medicine.


My kids - Rebecca and Anson - wanted to get in on the action of helping with the medicine too. They're not the only ones either. So many people are concerned about her and want to help, so we are starting "Coloring for a Cure". Kids can color pictures and mail or give them to the donor for any amount of $ as long as it is more than the cost of postage.


So... if you are in the market for some beautiful refrigerator art, click on the button. It will take you to Grandma Margaret's blog where you can donate $ and get a picture! Be sure to designate who you want a picture from, otherwise the kids participating will rotate who does the picture.

Thanks for helping us save a life!




P.S. If your kids want to help too, you can add the button to your blog by emailing me @ amanning24@gmail.com. I'll send you the html code to add to the sidebar of your blog.

ZooLights and Pajama Party

We went to see Zoolights tonight for FHE. I have never gone before so it was neat to see what it was all about. We had a fun time. The kids started asking us for treats, riding the merry-go-round, light-up toys, you name it the moment we walked in the zoo. I turned the tables on them and asked if they brought their money. They were free to buy those things with their own money, but we were only there to see the lights. That shushed them up pretty fast. They asked a few more times, but I kept asking right back. Anson thought maybe 2 quarters would be enough to buy a light up toy. I don't think so!

We had a "pajama party" when we got home. That basically just means you get all ready for bed, put on your pajamas, and watch a movie. We watched The Princess Bride which I got for Christmas.

Project

I have a new project I am going to make this week - a pack and play netting cover. I'm not sure exactly how yet. I don't believe there is a pattern - so I'll have to figure it out as I go.

Katie has been a big trouble maker lately as far as getting out of bed goes. I gave up putting her in her crib and put an extra crib mattress that I had on the floor of her room for her to sleep on. She does the same thing with a pack and play. Unless she is SO tired, she will just keep getting out of it and get into whatever happens to be in the room.

We are planning a family vacation soon and I am very concerned about the aforementioned problem. So I have determined to make something to keep her in bed for naps and at night. We don't need any wandering, cranky toddlers on vacation!

I am thinking of using the type of netting they use for laundry bags. I thought maybe I would stretch it tight over the top and somehow attach elastic to each corner to put around the legs of the pack and play to keep it on. I'm not sure how well it will keep her in - will she be able to get enough "give" to climb out? What other options are there? If you have a great idea, please let me know!

I did find a commercial product last night. It is about $68 and there is a risk of the toddler undoing the latches and getting their head stuck as they try climbing out. I'm not too interested in that!

We'll see how the project goes. I hope it works. The sanity of our vacation depends on it!