Children's Hospital Volunteer

In prep for a potential degree and career in nursing, Julia signed up to be a volunteer at Children's Hospital down the road from our house. Way to go Julia!

8th Grade Graduation

Today we celebrated Jonathan and the end of middle school for him (and all of us). We had the ceremony in the school gym, a special award, and then we went out to lunch.

Jonathan finished middle school in style, earning all (or almost all) "As". In addition, he was a finalist for the CTMS Citizenship Award, given to only one student of hundreds in his entire class. We thoughthe was going to win, since the teacher awarding it wanted to make sure that he was going to be there and ready, followed by a twinkle and a wink in her eye.

The award is given out by the Daughters of the American Revolution for characteristics such as: Honor, Service, Courage, Leadership and Patriotism. Congratulations on the award and finishing up middle school, Buddy!

Last Day of School

...and last day of middle school for Jonathan! He wanted me to give him a summer buzz cut so his friends could see it, rather than wait a few days.

Vermejo Charcoal Burner

I headed down to New Mexico with teammate Matt Wright for my first gravel race of 2025. The race was just over the border, and a few miles west of Raton, on a private ranch called Vermejo. The property is one of the reserves owned by Ted Turner and is a working ranch and outdoor getaway vacation spot for adventure seekers.

Unfortunately, it snowed a lot earlier in the week in this part of the country. The result was that things got really muddy, and then torn up by cattle, trucks, ATVs and whatever else made its way through the course. It dried out just in time, but it made the race really rough and rutted out the entire way. I also lost count how many times I had to cross a small stream during the race, I think there were around 5 - 7, but they were shallow enough to be able to ride through.

I ended up taking second overall to a teenage phenom, but won the overall Masters category. The course was so rough that I ended up with some blisters on my hands from the non-stop pounding. Overall it was a great event and fun. I will definitely do it again if the conditions are better, since it's a small race and a good one to start off the season.

Student Council Induction

Tonight was the Pine Creek Student Council Awards and Induction Ceremony. As the incoming Freshman Class President, Jonathan had to speak in front of everyone and introduce himself and the incoming Freshman Council. He did a great job speaking. He also looked really good in my dress shoes!

Junior Prom Photo Op