Pig Party 2010

Summer always starts with our annual pig roast for our friends and this year was no exception. Unlike last year, it was really HOT! We set up a big piece of plastic as a slip-n-slide down the hill in the front yard and had a line of kids enjoying it. We were so lucky to have a ton of family come too! It was so much fun (and a little chaotic)!! I wish I had more pictures, but I didn't get my camera out at all! Boo!! Thanks to all our friends who came. We have the greatest friends here in Colorado and we are so thankful for you! Thanks to all our family who came too. It means so much to us that you would make the effort to come be with us! We are looking forward to next year's pig party!

Family Fishing

Fishing at Highline...a Dare family favorite. This was a perfect way to spend an evening together as a family. We didn't catch many fish, but the weather was perfect. The girls are learning how to cast their own poles, bait their own hooks, and love spending time with their dad. Great memories!

Regan's 1st Ride

Regan looks up to Carli so much. She is so excited to ride with her big sister!

One cute little mountain biker!

Regan went on her first mountain bike ride. She loved it!! Regan has been wanting to go for a while now, but we didn't want to take her before she was ready. Her favorite part was seeing a lizard right on the trail in front of her. She had a couple of crashes, but just got right back on and rode. We are so impressed! Good job Regan!! You are getting so big!

An Accomplishment

Chad is amazing. We've been married for 11 1/2 years and he never ceases to amaze me. He has an intense personality and is very passionate about life. As most of you know, he decided he needed to make a change earlier this year so in February he started a workout called P90X. In those 90 days he has lost 30 lbs. That alone is amazing, but he also decided that he was going to do something he's always wanted to do...a triathlon. We have a local triathlon held every year at Highline Lake. It's a 500m swim, 16 mile bike, and 3 mile run. Well, he did it. In fact, he rocked it! He finished ahead of his goal time and was ranked 6th in his age group. His overall rank was 46th out of 204. Finish time: 1hr 37min 32sec. He even did it in the pouring rain. He is amazing! The girls were amazing too. We were really excited to cheer him on, but with the rain, I didn't think they would last. They are such troopers. It was an exciting morning and we are so proud of Chad!! Soaked through our clothes and chilled to the bone, it was an accomplishment we will never forget! Thanks to all our great friends who are a great support and are always there for us! Everyone did an amazing job!

Saturday Fun

Carli and Ashley

The studly men...Chad and Steve Martin

Carli riding down the trail...doesn't she look so tiny?

Regan and Mollie waiting for the riders to return. They can't wait until they are big enough to go mountain biking. Regan is pretty close and Mollie should be getting her training wheels off soon!

The moms Chrissy and Mindy. Don't ask about the hair. It was really windy! We were able to do a trail together while the dads kept the kids. It was such a nice morning with good weather, good exercise, and good friends! Thanks Martin family! We love Fruita! :)

Boating Babes

Look at these cuties! We went with the Quarnberg family to Highline Lake and enjoyed their boat. The kids had so much fun riding in the boat (the water was SO cold!)

Carli (with Kylee's bootie! HA!)-7 years

Regan-5 years

Braden and Mollie-3 years

Chad and Mindy

Kids trying to push Gary into the freezing water (they never could get him in!)

The dad's showing the kids how to skip rocks in the water

The moms enjoying the sun :) Thanks Quarnbergs for a great time! Isn't summer fun?!

Blood, Sweat, but no Tears

My upper lip/chin is so swollen, I look like a duck!

This is only half of the cut, but it hurt too much to pull it out anymore.

Some more lovely cuts and scrapes. I don't have a picture, but my legs look like I was attacked by a meat tenderizer!

Amy, Me, Mindy, and Kristy

Me and Melissa

Tough girls bike...Our new slogan. We had a girls mountain biking trip to Moab this last weekend. We rode the "Slickrock" trail (13 miles) on Friday and the "Whole Enchilada" trail (20+ miles), which is part of the Kokopelli trail, on Saturday. We had an absolute BLAST! We got a hotel, sat in the hot tub, went out to dinner, laughed, and played. Everyone had atleast one crash, and I almost made it through the weekend unscathed until the end of the last ride. A few miles before we were done, I had a good one. We were riding down a trail of rocks on Porcupine Rim and I hit a rock with my front tire just right. My handlebars jammed sideways, we were going downhill, which forced the back of my bike upward, making me fall. I threw my bike to the side and didn't have enough time to bring my arms back to save myself. End result, my face colliding with a rock. My tooth went through my bottom lip, my nose/lip are swollen, and there was blood running down my face. My claim to fame is that I didn't cry.

There was blood, there was plenty of sweat, but no tears.

Even with the crash, it was so much fun! I told my lovely neighbor Judy that I would do it again tomorrow and her response was: "Yeah, you're young...and stupid!" I guess I'm glad that I'm still young enough to do stupid things, cause it sure is a blast!!