I feel like this post could also be called "Track and Field 2019" instead--because April was full of the twins' and Kanyon's track meets, which were on different days in different places, so every week there was multiple track meets! However, there were other things that happened sprinkled in between the track meets, too...like April Fool's Day for one!
For years, I thought it would be fun if the twins dressed up like each other, but they never seemed interested in it. Surprisingly, the night before April Fool's Day this year (after being gone a week from school on Spring Break), Micah suggested it. After lots of persuasion, Jonah finally went along with it! They dressed like each other, and went to their first 2 hours acting like one another, but after that, neither one of them wanted to go to the other's classes for the day (they have the first two hours together). They said Brother Beyeler picked up on it immediately in seminary class, but several of their friends were fooled until they spoke. It was a fun experience for them, and I'm glad they finally did it! [This was what Micah posted on Instagram about it:]
Kanyon's first meet of the season was at Ririe on April 3. This was the first year he's participated in track & field. His events were discus, shotput, and the 400m race. He earned 5th place in the shotput with his throw of 19 feet and 9.25 inches (unfortunately I didn't see it. I left as soon as school got out and drove straight to Ririe, but I missed seeing his shotput throw). In the discus he got 32' 10". He ran the 400 meters in 1:19:85. I was so proud of doing so well at his first meet ever!
West J hosted a high school track meet on April 4. It started late--at 3:30, which was nice for me because I didn't have to miss any school, but as a result, they were still competing after 9:00 that night after it was dark and only the football stadium lights were on. It was a cold meet, and storms just kept blowing through. The kids were freezing by the time it was done! Josh drove the Salmon bus down, so that was nice for me to be with him to watch our kids together. In the pole vault, Jonah cleared 7'6", but struggled at the 8' mark this time. Micah got 3rd in the 800 with a time of 2:18.68, and Jonah's time in the 800 was 2:41.00 (there were so many runners in the 800m, that they ran 2 heats and the twins were each in a different heat). In the 1600m, Micah's time was 5:12.93 and he finished right between 2 other Salmon runners Treygan and Nathan.
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| The 1600m was the 2nd to the last race, and it was already dark by then! |
On April 10, Josh and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary! However, we weren't able to be together that day, so we spent some time together the weekend before our anniversary, and went on a weekend getaway the weekend after our anniversary. On the 7th, we went on a truck drive towards Challis in the afternoon after General Conference, drove around some beautiful mountain areas, and stopped at the Hot Springs along the Salmon River that Josh discovered earlier this year. It was my first time going there (he went there once without me on Spring Break when I was in D.C.). It was lovely! It's in between the river and the highway, and is very small, so only a few people can fit. It's below the highway hidden under some rocks, so passersby can't see you, and you can barely hear the cars over the sounds of the rumbling river. It was relaxing listening to the sounds of the river as we soaked, and being alone with my man!
I drove home to Salmon on Monday night the 8th to watch the NCAA championship game with the boys (it's tradition!) We'd each filled out brackets for the March Madness tournament, and Josh and Micah were the only ones who picked one of the top 2 teams this year (they each had counted on Virginia to make it). It was an exciting, super close game, but in the end, Texas Tech won. Overall, Josh got the most points in our family and won the bracket contest with 78 points (for each round of competition, the points increase), beating me by just 3 points. I think it's the first time he's ever won (it's usually me or Micah), so he was pretty stoked about it (even though the prize is just a bag of chocolate--it's the bragging rights that he prefers!).
On Tuesday the 9th, the twins had track at the Florence/Darby Invitational in Corvallis Montana. Josh drove the bus for it, but I was unable to go. It was a really large meet, and it was cold, drizzly weather--both made for a really long day! The twins had several events, too. Jonah cleared 7 feet in the pole vault. They moved it one foot rather than 6 inches, and he didn't clear 8 feet. In the 800, Micah got 9th in the varsity race with a time of 2:20, and Jonah got 10th in the JV race with a time of 2:37. In the 1600m race, Micah placed 8th with a time of 5:08 (the fastest freshman in the entire race!). They both ran the JV 4x400 on different teams.
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| Jonah's 800m race |
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| Micah's Varsity 800m race |
On Wednesday the 10th, Kanyon had track at Butte. Josh wasn't able to come, but I went right after school. I barely missed the shotput again--this time by only 2 minutes! His shotput throw was 20-09. Thankfully, I was there to watch his other 2 events though. In the discus, his farthest throw was 43-05, and he ran the 400 in 1:23.99. It was a beautiful afternoon, albeit windy, and I was grateful for decent weather at a track meet!
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| The view driving in to Arco was beautiful! |
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Just like in XC races, he really picks up the pace before the finish line
which is really exciting to watch!
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On Friday the 12th, the twins had a track meet in Challis. Unfortunately, neither Josh nor I were able to go, as we were driving up to see Ammon in Moscow that day. I'd gotten the afternoon off, and I drove to Salmon and from there, Josh and I drove together as far as Coeur d'Alene that night. However, Grandma and Grandpa T. went and watched the twins, which we were so grateful for. The boys said the weather was super fickle! It rained and snowed, there was sunlight and wind, and every few minutes it changed! It wasn't their best race day, but they both said it was fun and they liked attending the smaller meet (only Challis, Salmon, Leadore, and Mackay were there). In the pole vault, Jonah cleared 7 feet, but they raised it again by 1 foot rather than 6 inches, and he didn't clear 8 feet, but he still got 6th place overall! In the 800m, Micah got 6th place with a time of 2:25 and Jonah got 9th place with 2:38. Micah ran the 3200m for the first time, and finished with a time of 11:20. Jonah also ran in the Medley Relay on the Salmon team.
The previous weekend at U of I was Mom's Weekend, but I knew that would be hard for me to come back from my Washington D.C. trip and head to Moscow just a few days later and Josh wouldn't have been able to drive with me either, so Josh and I asked Ammon if we could come one weekend later instead when it worked out better for both of us. We thought the town would be a little less crazy, too. Trying to find a hotel to stay at in the Moscow vicinity on Mom's weekend was ridiculous--all the hotels were booked unless you paid $300 a night, which I couldn't. However, when I looked for hotels the next weekend, they were all still booked and only the expensive ones were available. I couldn't figure out why! Rather than staying in town, I booked a hotel in Coeur d'Alene for Friday night the 12th and one in Lewiston on Saturday night, because if you don't stay in the Moscow region, it was a lot more affordable! The hotel in Coeur d'Alene was a little sketchy; the lady at the front desk was clearly on drugs, and they allowed animals to stay there so the inside was smelly and loud from barking, but we made it through. We headed for Moscow on Saturday morning. Ammon and Gabbie met us at a cute bagel shop, and we had brunch together. We headed for the golf course in Pullman Washington, which is about 10 miles away, just over the border, and then we realized why everything in Moscow was so busy: it was Mom's Weekend for Washington State University in Pullman! Ammon and Josh had made a tee time for 18 holes at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club. Gabbie and I drove in carts with Josh & Ammon and watched them play. Surprisingly, it was Gabbie's first time on a golf course! However, the weather got so cold and windy and drizzly that after 9 holes, they decided to stop. We looked at going to different restaurants in Pullman for lunch, but the wait time was ridiculous. We looked at going bowling there too, but there was a tournament that day so the bowling alley was closed to the public. So, we decided to head back to Moscow. We ate at another cute restaurant (that had TV's so Josh and Ammon could watch the Master's Golf Tournament), and then tried to get in at the local Escape Room since none of us had ever done one before, but they were all booked. We looked into going to the movie theater, but we couldn't decide on a movie. I suggested going to see a play at the theater, but nobody else wanted that. Ultimately, we went shopping at Walmart and then back to Ammon's frat house to watch Netflix together until that night when Josh and I left to drive to Lewiston. The Lewiston hotel was even more sketchy than the Coeur d'Alene one: the hotel was locked and we had to wait for someone to come be at the front desk, our window and door wouldn't lock properly, and it was in a questionable part of town. Once again, though, we survived (thankfully) and drove back home to Salmon on Sunday. We had enjoyed our time with Ammon and Gabbie, although nothing really worked out that we'd hoped for! I feel like that's how all our vacations are going lately!
On Tuesday the 16th, Kanyon had a track meet at West J. The Salmon jr. high team also came, so Josh was able to drive the bus and watch Kanyon, too! It was the first meet West J competed with Salmon, and Kanyon was happy to see some of his friends there! It was the first time I was able to see his shotput event, because it started right after school. He threw 22-09 and got his season PR! I'm glad I didn't miss it! In the discus, he threw 44-07, and he ran a 1:20.94 in the 400m race. It was FREEZING! Josh and I cuddled up in blankets waiting to watch his race!
On Thursday the 18th, the twins had a home track meet in Salmon. I took the afternoon off, and drove home to watch it. It was absolutely gorgeous weather, and I'm so glad I was there! Josh had to help with the Pole Vault, and was on the field for most of the meet, but I sat with West J friends and Salmon friends in the bleachers, and enjoyed my time soaking in the sun, conversing with friends, and watching my kids compete. Jonah again cleared 7 feet in the pole vault, but just barely missed clearing the 8 feet mark. In the 800m race, Micah PR'd with a time of 2:17 and Jonah ran it in 2:41. Micah also PR'd in the mile with a time of 5:03. Jonah also ran in a relay team for the 4x400. It was a great meet!
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| So many Salmon runners in the 1600! |
On Saturday the 20th, we went to Utah to celebrate Easter at my parents' home in Providence (more about that in a separate post). This was the first year that Ammon didn't celebrate Easter with us, but he did spend the weekend with Gabbie in Moscow. Gabbie's sorority house had their spring semi-formal, and he went to that with her!
Therapy for Josh and I looks totally different. We each had a "therapy" evening on Monday after returning home from our Easter trip and going back to work. Josh took a motorcycle ride into the mountains, and I went out with my Mud Lake friends to celebrate Angie's birthday.
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| Dinner at Jalisco's: Angie, Val, Lidia, Me, Rosalba, and Tanis took the photo. |
On Tuesday the 23rd, the twins had a track meet in Arco. I took the afternoon off work again, and drove over to watch them. I got there right after Jonah's first jump at 7 feet, and watched the rest. He cleared 8 feet this time! That was exciting to see! Jonah and Micah both ran in the 400 for the first and only time this season (they were running the 1600m in the Tiger Grizz Invitational on Saturday, and per Idaho requirements, they couldn't run the same event twice in the same week, and they were limited to how many track events they could compete in within a week's time as well). That was fun to watch them in the same event at the same time! Micah's time was 1:02, and Jonah's was 1:03! Micah also ran in the 4x400 relay race.
Kanyon and I went to the "Mr. West J" pageant on the 24th. It was hilarious! The theme was Back to the Future, and they had awesome dance numbers and music from the soundtrack playing. We had something like this when I was in high school, but Salmon doesn't do any pageants, so it was a new experience for Kanyon. We sat by the McDonald family and had a fun night!
Kanyon had a track meet in Salmon on Thursday the 25th. I didn't go it, but Josh and Grandma and Grandpa T. did. He did awesome in the 400m, and finished in 5th place with a time of 1:16.20. In the shotput, he got 22-04.75, and in the discus event, he got 10th place and PR'd with a throw of 55-03! Josh checked him out after the track meet, and he spent the night in Salmon (and even got to skip school on Friday!). There was a ward party that night that they all went to, and Josh and the twins were even involved performing in a skit on stage with the YM.
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Fun Fact: Kanyon always wears his long orange socks at meets when he's
competing with the Salmon team to show his support for his friends from there!
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Last year, when I worked at West J, it was my first year teaching a home room class, and I was a little overwhelmed in a new place with a new curriculum, so I didn't volunteer to help with anything. This year, I'm more confident and ready and willing to help out more. So...after seeing my initiative on a few other things, the principal asked me if I would be in charge of a staff going away party for a few teachers who are leaving the district, our secretary who quit mid-year to help her family, and an aide who was retiring. We did it on the last Friday of the month as our early-release meeting. We had potluck, and I had a Mad Libs letter I wrote for each of the staff member who was leaving that I had everyone else fill in the blanks on papers labeled with the word type (adjective, noun, verb, number, character trait, etc.). I worked super late on Thursday night getting it all ready, but I felt like it was a good way to honor everyone and have input from the rest of the staff, too. It was a fun party!
Jonah and Micah got to go with some of their teammates and their coach to an overnighter in Idaho Falls on April 25-26 for the big Tiger Grizz Invitational. They both competed in the Freshman 1600 with about 50 runners! It was the last race of the day on Saturday, and they didn't do as well as they usually do, but they had fun and were glad for the chance to go. They enjoyed the time with their team. josh and I stayed home in Salmon that weekend. I worked in the garden for a while, pruning the raspberry patch, then we went to town and helped Amanda's mom by putting together a bed for Hannah, and rearranging her bedroom. Then Josh and I took a Jeep ride up Blackrock to Stormy Peak Road.
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| I love the orange/purple/white combination of tulips in the flowerbed! |
On the last Sunday in April, Amanda and Ryan and John came out to visit us. We snacked inside and talked for a while, and decided the weather was good enough to have a bonfire and roast s'mores. It was the first time we used the fire pit this year. It was a little chilly, and the wind kept blowing smoke in Ryan's face, so Amanda and I kept standing in front of him, using our bodies as a shield until he couldn't take it anymore. I love having our friends over!
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| Jonah's shoes crack me up! |
