Vegas Baby!

Sorry for the lack of pictures from the marathon and Las vegas in general, the camera jumped out of my jacket pocket and stayed in the backseat of a cab the morning of the race so all pictures came from my phone. Oh well, that's not the big news anyway.

Congratulations to my wife who ran her first marathon last weekend and did an amazing job! Her goal when training was to break 4 hours and she did just that and then some, finishing in 3:51. When I asked her afterwards if she'd do another she was pretty enthusiastic and I think she even has some dreams of qualifying for Boston. Looking back on Lindsey's accomplishment I am just so proud of her and I know her Dad would be to. I doubt it would of taken any convincing for him to meet us there but if he hadn't he would have been the first person she called. I know he was watching after you and I know you made him proud too. You did great.

And special thanks to Grandma Burns who graciously came over and stayed the weekend with Emma and Grace. It was great to spend time with my wife and take in Las Vegas. So thank you Sue.

Lindsey really looked good and was ahead of pace every time I saw her.

New York and Paris just a short walk away.

Ironman met the real Ironman... you figure out who's who.

Doing our best self portrait shot in front of the Belagio.

Thanksgiving 2010

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday with Grandma Burns in Alamogordo. We had a great time visiting family and playing with cousins. The feast did not disappoint and neither did Caliche's on Friday. Saturday we played miniature golf and raced go karts. In just 3 short weeks we will be celebrating Christmas, Lindsey's birthday, and a new year. But first, Lindsey has 26.2 miles to go this weekend in Las Vegas.

Time for things to slow down (a little).

Today is the day after the cross country season has ended for the 2010 season. We had our state championships yesterday in Rio Rancho and I have to say it was a good day and Socorro XC has lots to be proud of and an even brighter future to look forward to. On the boys side we continued our climb up the XC ladder and placed 7th as a team. We also had the 2nd best pack time (time difference between our first and fifth scoring runners) in the entire field regardless of classification and we avenged our loss to Ruidoso from the week before at the district championships. In 2009 we finished 10th and the year before we weren't able to qualify a team for State so we are improving but like running and endurance sports, it takes consistent work over time.

On the girls side we finished 8th as a team and had the programs first all-state runner as we had the 4th place individual finisher. The great thing about this girl is that she is a freshman and 2 of the 3 girls ahead of her were seniors. I hope she stays motivated about running and she surrounds herself with friends who encourage her to improve. Similar to the boys, the girls improved from the previous year where they finished 9th and from 2008 when we didn't even have enough girls to make a team.

Although I'm already looking forward to next season I am even more looking forward to my family and friends. I want to spend even more time with them and I don't think I've been to Las Cruces or Phoenix for some time. Not to mention Boise to visit my hot mess sister-in-law. Next weekend my nephew will be running in the state championships XC race for NM Junior Olympics and I am looking forward to that as he is a future star of NM XC. This month will also bring Thanksgiving in Alamogordo and I'm looking forward to all that delicious food and taking a turkey overdose induced nap. And in December, Lindsey will run her first marathon and I am so proud of the work she has been putting in. I haven't been to Sin City since I was too young to sin.

Well hopefully you can expect some more posts from now on... Now that I've got some free time ;)

-Steven

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

Congratulations Steven on your Ironman finish! It was awesome

to see you out there among the best! Mike and I had a great time following you on our bikes while you ran:) You accomplished such an amazing goal that you have wanted for so long. You did it with such heart and we are all so proud of you.

Steven,
You have been preparing for this day for quite some time now. I can't believe we leave tomorrow for Hawaii! I am excited to be there and experience all the events that take place this week in preparation for Ironman on Saturday, even the underwear run! You have been dedicated to your workouts and have pushed yourself to extremes in many ways, physically and emotionally. We will be your number one fans out there just like we were leading up to this. We love you and wish you a safe Ironman race. YOU ROCK!

GO IRONDADDY!

The Day has finally arrived....

Since Emma was three she has been going to school. She began at Don's School which is a cooperative nursery school. She loved it very much, but always complained that they did not give her any homework! Then, last year she attended pre-kinder at the elementary school and once again was upset because she never had homework. Well, now she is in Kindergarten and had her first homework assignment! She was so excited and could not wait to get it done. She organized her area and sharpened her pencil and was ready to go. She in

sisted that after I read the directions to her that she would do it by herself unless she absolutely needed help; then she would let me know! Even Grace was excited for her.

Back to School

School started yesterday for teachers and today for students. Unfortunately I found out very last minute that Grace's daycare could not open yet, so it leaves me starting the school year with a substitute. Of course I am just fine staying home with Grace, but very stressful when you are notified late at night of the situation.

So, this morning Emma was excited for her first day of Kindergarten. She said she wanted to learn how to read and make pottery! How cute. Sadly, her mood changed and both her and I were crying when I dropped her off. I took her in the classroom and there were some familiar faces but lots of new ones. I think she got so nervous because kids were just working on whatever at the time and the girl sitting next to her was already crying that it just came pouring out! I was able to stay with her for about 20 minutes but then had to get my sub plans to my room so I had to leave her crying....poor thing. I was so sad that she was nervous and that I could not just stay...but I knew she would be fine. I made it back in time to eat lunch with her and she was as happy as can be, with her red puffy eyes!

From there, Grace and I went to visit the daycare so she could see her wonderful babysitter, Virginia. I wanted to prepare myself for what it might be like when the daycare does open and we have to drop her off. But, it was great. Grace remembered Virginia and the center and just loved being there again! Thank goodness.

Now, Grace is taking a nap and I can just breathe for a moment before I am on the go again! Welcome back to school girls!

Here are some pictures of last night's back to school swim night that Emma had with her friends...one last hurrah before life gets busy again.

Happy 1st Birthday Grace!

I can't believe how the time has gone by! Just last summer I was making the lifeguards at the pool very nervous...worried I was going to have a water birth! Ha Ha! Grace, your first real word was da da, which made me very jealous, but proud too, because I know that you have a wonderful daddy! You are taking a few steps at a time by yourself, but really you want to be running! You are beginning to say ma ma, and you also say the words this and that! I rarely do my hair because I am too tired in the morning from being up with you all night...needless to say, you do not sleep well. Your favorite things to eat are mac and cheese with brocolli , watermelon, yogurt, and the whip cream from your daddy's sonic drinks! You like to paint your nails and you loved your birthday cake! We love you Grace, you are a true blessing to our family.

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

I miss you Dad.

Yes it has been a while, almost a month, since the last post. And in summer terms that is a very long time. Let's see, since the last post on our our anniversary, I raced in Lubbock but the family was unable to go as Emma had a special 8 and under only swim meet. We traveled to tucson for a sprint triathlon at the University of Arizona and we stayed 2 nights in a hotel where Emma and Monique and Levi played in the pool for hours at a time. Lindsey stayed a few days in Alamogordo and Las Cruces with her mom and sister and Emma played with her cousins, Sydney and Thomas. In Alamogordo they went to the zoo and the military base swimming pool. Lindsey and I both raced the Kelly Mine Run, a 7k uphill all the way course in Magdalena, NM and I finished my summer job! We also squeezed in a trip to the lake with Mike and Danny and their families. Here are some pics: