Mighty Minds!

Sean and Ashton practiced for their second grade musical, Mighty Minds, for several months, and the production was impressive indeed! Sean landed one of the lead roles. There was a Mighty Science Mind, Mighty Math Mind, Mighty History Mind, Mighty Spelling Mind, and the most important role in this musical (in my mind anyway!), Mighty Music Mind! Guess which one Sean was? You guessed right. Sean has too much music running in his family's blood to not land the role of Mighty Music Mind! Can you tell yet that I'm a proud Mama? Just wait. He had the best costume out of all the lead roles- Kevin brought home a small Galena High School marching band jacket, shako (that's the hat) and a mace. And the jacket fit him! Well, I had to roll up the sleeves, but he filled out that uniform like a pro. I can't believe how fast these boys are growing!

Anyway, back to the musical. Ashton also did a superb job- each of the second grade classes took a turn singing a different song, and he was placed front and center (although not on a mike). Ashton is wearing the red shirt with grey sleeves- they were supposed to dress as regular kids in school, while the Mighty Minds came in to save the day and give them confidence in school and on their tests- to show all the students how smart they are! Here is a picture of his class:

And a closer one of Ashton, in the middle again:

Here is a little video clip of Ashton's class singing Test Anxiety:

And next up, Sean to save the day! Here he is with Mighty Math Mind (I don't know why he is wearing a Hawaiian shirt either):

A close up of Sean- he was an amazing performer! He was confident, stood up straight and tall, and sang and spoke loudly and clearly! And that kid can sing too- his pitch was right on, and his movements were precise and clear. I wish I was half the soloist he is, at 7. Yes, again the proud Mom in me is glowing again. :) He was so cute up there, and I could tell that he was roasting under the lights with his shako on. He kept pushing it up, and then ended up taking it off at the very end. The mace didn't last past the first few minutes of the show. I think the music teacher was afraid he'd whack someone with it on accident. Oh well. No one could deny that Sean's was the best costume up there.

And a short wobbly little clip of his brilliance (sorry, I was also holding my video camera (I did record pretty much the entire show if you want to see that too!), and that was a little challenging):

Here are both of my little stars after the show, holding their flowers from their equally (almost) proud teachers. Oh my boys!

Saturday Trail Run

Today I got up and didn't feel particularly like running, even though I am actually home on a rare Saturday (concert later at Nightingale Hall at UNR- the alumnae Wind Symphony is playing a free concert at 3:00 if anyone is interested!). So I cleaned my house for a good hour and a half when I got up (which means, only about 2/3 of the downstairs. HA.). I was starting to go stir crazy after finding 2 broken umbrellas (hidden, thanks boys), so I stretched and headed out the back door to visit my favorite trail, Jones Whites Creek Trail, which starts about a quarter mile from my house. And guess what? I had the best trail run ever! For the first time, I didn't stop (it's all uphill from my house- a lovely windy, rocky, muddy technical trail)! I went slow on the steep parts and kept my breathing even. I gave my rock a proper hello and plowed up the steepest part of the trail that always knocks the wind out of me.

I kept going past the furthest point I've ever run on this trail, and only stopped for 20 seconds to look around to take in the view from up there. Then I zoomed back home for a total time of 66 minutes, which is a half mile longer than this exact same run I did last weekend, but only 4 more minutes in time. I'm proud of me! I hope I can keep it up- it was a lovely mind-clearing run. The best kind.

Pogonip

Back in early February we got lots of fog and freezing temperatures. What does this combination create? Pogonip! Also known as hoarfrost and a particular circumstance to this side of the country it seems. When I peeked outside that morning (sorry, don't remember the exact date), I was excited to see the pogonip that had formed on all the flora around my house. I grabbed my camera and raced outside in my jim-jams, big coat and boots to snap a few shots before it melted. I recommend on clicking on each photo to make it BIG. :)

A close up:

Another close up:

Beautiful. We haven't had freezing fog like this since the winter of 2004 or 2005? Anyone else remember? I took pictures of it then too. Just wanted to share these with ya~

Choir Boys

On Sunday Sean and Ashton got to wear choir robes for the first time and sing in church! They were adorable. I loved listening to those perfect little voices singing the high parts as can only come naturally for children. Here is a picture of them practicing, with Sue, their director, at the far left playing piano (she is a fantastic pianist- she played for Kevin's Master's recital as well). You can see the backs of their dark heads in front of the piano:
And another picture before church started:

And finally, St. John's in all it's glory! I know they are small, but Sean and Ashton are left front and center:

They make their mama proud! I miss singing in choir, but am still loving playing in the hand bell choir. Easter Sunday is coming up, and I'll get to play in a brass quartet and in the bell choir~ :)

Virtual Race: Global Warming, My Ass! 6.66 Mile Run

This morning I met my co-worker Abbey and a few of her running team mates in Carson City for a nice trail run up Ash Canyon. It was a beautiful sunny morning, if a little brisk with the wind blowing, but once we got going it was absolutely perfect weather for a run. I'm sorry to say that I'm not at the top of my game right now because of off and on lower back pain. Not sure what I did this time, but I'm working on the moves my physical therapist got me started on. I'm feeling pretty good, but because of my lack of quality trail runs lately I found myself getting winded pretty quickly on the uphill half of our run (which felt more like 2/3). It was a beautiful trail and I'd like to get another go at it, but maybe at a slower pace. Abbey and her team put in so many miles in these hills I swear they are part Bighorn Mountain Sheep!

I had a goal in mind: I signed up for a virtual race called "Global Warming, My Ass!" which is a 6.66 mile run any way we wanted to complete it before March 16th. I thought today would be a good day to knock this one off. However, it's a good thing that the host of this race isn't choosing prizes to give out to the winners because that's not a category I'd fall into with my slow-poke pace of an hour and a half. Yes, I did a lot of walking. But first things first. Here is a pic of us getting started: (Abbey is on the far right waving me forward- I'm the one in green)

The pavement only lasted for a few minutes and then we started in on the uphill. What a fantastic view of the mountains! And the sky was super blue today, which contrasted even more sharply with the white clouds floating overhead.

Here's a typical shot of Abbey's hair, wildly swinging in tempo with her pace. I don't know how she runs with her hair down- that would drive me batty.

As I mentioned earlier, I got winded pretty quickly on our uphill climb and the group had to wait for me several times. Here they are in their (unpanting) glory:

Here I am coming up the hill, in last place, with the valley below me~

And following Abbey- looks like she's giving me the skinny of the trail and its history...

And a glorious photo of the valley below us, and soooo much sky!

I learned that it is mandatory to "fly airplanes" around the hairpin turns going back down hill (here I was able to keep up! :)

And the rest of the group following suit~

Fellow TLD (Team Library Dork) runner Turi also made the trek down to Carson for this wonderful trail run, even if he already completed his 6.66 mile run (with a MUCH faster time). He also is going to run this 6.66 mile distance 6.66 times. Overkill or just super enthusiastic? He never does anything half-assed. :) Nice profile pic here~

And a photo op of Abbey, me and Turi:

And one final watercolor photo of my braided hair, just for fun~

Thanks to Abbey and her running team for including me in your Sunday run! And also to Razz for hosting the virtual run!

Scott and Sara Got Married!

Yaaaaay! I missed the day and all the fun, but my mom and older brother were able to go to Yellowstone where they tied the knot at a little chapel after a fun weekend of winter sports, including snowshoeing and dog sledding! They wore saris they bought when they visited India last year. A little S&S background: they met at UNR in a swords class where they were learning a Japanese style of the sport, and officially started dating on 3/2/01. Nine years later they were married on this same day, 3/2/10. I LOVE fun numbers like this, and the fact that they remembered this day nine years later shows what a loving and unique relationship they have. I was lucky enough to talk to Scott about 45 minutes before they got married, and he couldn't have sounded happier. My mom said Scott was glowing, with the most serene smile on his face and complete joy emanating from his being throughout the entire three minute ceremony. Sara is one intelligent, beautiful, athletic girl, and I couldn't have picked a better match for my baby brother. My best wishes and hopes go out to both of you, and that you will have happy and fulfilling lives. And come often to visit me (and cook for me Scotty) because I miss you both like crazy. Love you both, and my most sincere welcome to you Sara. Please take care of my Scott :)