State Swim Meet

This morning was our final swim meet of the summer......no more crack of butt dawn wake up calls on a Saturday morning....at least for a couple months.  Peter and Lois swam well today.  Luke did not want to swim because his age group events began at 11am and would go until about 1:30......he didn't want to be at the pool all day......we didn't argue!  It was hot and sticky today.

 Peter placed 2nd in breast and 4th in fly.  There was some good competition in his age group and very close finishes. The meet was not seeded.  If it had been, I wonder how he would have done.  Sensing someone in the lane next to you who is fighting to beat you always pushes you to pull just a bit harder. 

Lois is our State Champ in 25yd breast stroke!!!  She also took 4th in fly and free!  She is so proud of her medals!

 Lois in lane 3 with the pink cap getting ready for a start.

Peter in lane 5 getting his arms loose for his race.

City Swim Meet

 Last Saturday the kids competed in the City of Chandler "City Meet".   The four city teams competed against each other.   Team Brodnik swam well.  Lois took first in both her events:  fly and breast.  Peter won 1st in fly and 2nd in free.  Luke took 3rd in free and 7th in breast.     Peter and Lois are competing in the state rec swim meet tomorrow morning.  It's the summer finale meet.  We're hoping for fast times!

Duck Drama

Once upon a time there lived a duck named Cow Duck.  He lived a leisurely life on the Arden Park pond with many of his friends.  He was a happy duck but was lonely.

 One day he met a beautiful lady with blue feathers named Charlotte.  They made a perfect pair.

 In the spring they became proud parents to five ducklings....two boys and three girls.

 My kids have affectionately named Cow Duck and Charlotte and we've been keeping tabs on them for at least a year.  It was fun to see their ducklings come along this spring.  The kids are working on names for the five of them.  Can't wait! 

Here's a funny photo of Charlotte pushing Cow Duck back into the pond.  We laughed hysterically!  Funny ducks!    Any fowl experts know what kind of ducks these are???? 

Fun with PVC

This summer vacation we had fun with PVC pipe!!  We saw a kid project in a magazine creating a water spray structure using PVC.  The boys made their shopping list, we drove down to Lowes and they did all the shopping.  It was fun to watch them load the cart as they checked items off their list.  The best line was from Luke one night at dinner when he blurts out, "PVC is so self-explanatory!!!".  Too funny!   He really enjoyed the planning, shopping and hands on creation!!   Not sure what we'll do with all this PVC now that the novelty has faded......store it til the next project! 

 Back at home they learned how to use PVC cutters.

It's coming together. 

Here's the photo of the end result we are trying to achieve.

Final touches before the water goes on.  

One more hole should do the trick. 

 It works marvelously!! Ta-da!

 Opening night with lots of friends! 

Not sure what is more fun, the spraying water or the mud!!

My Cousin

This is my cousin, Kim.  I took this photo of her 5 years ago when she graduated from high school.  In May, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin -Stout where she not only studied but was also a student athlete playing volleyball.   Even though she was born the year I started college and I didn't spend much time with her as she grew up in Minnesota, I find myself admiring her for many reasons.......for a 22yr old she has an amazing faith in God, she's bright and outgoing, she likes adventure, treasures her family and seems to have priorities & values that will carry her to incredible heights along her life journey.  

Last Wednesday, July 13 she departed for an 11-month journey around the world called World Race with Adventures in Missions.  She flew to Ecuador as her starting point and will travel to Peru, Bolivia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam working in orphanages and teaching people about Jesus.  It's not a glamorous world vacation.  She will witness poverty and have experiences with other cultures most of us will never see.  Those encounters will most certainly change her forever.  I'm so excited for her adventure and will closely watch her blog.  Check it out.....  http://kimlabat.theworldrace.org/        She's a wonderful writer, too!    You might be inspired in some way.  Pray for her safety, resilient health and endless compassion for the people of the world she will meet.  Love you, Kim! 

I grabbed this photo from her blog.  I love it!  It captures her joy and energy at the equator in Ecuador.

It's the Pits!

Last Friday, Whole Foods had organic cherries on sale.  I bought 2 cases.  Holy Cow, that's a lot of cherries!   I bought a pitter to remove the pits so I can freeze them.  It's a pretty neat tool and kind of fun to use.  Good thing I don't have 2 otherwise the boys would engage in pit wars...what a bloody mess that would be!   

They are delicious.  I'm freezing most of them because we especially like them in smoothies.  Yum!  I made "cherry sauce" to put in yogurt, on pancakes and over ice-cream.  Wow!  I feel a cherry cobbler coming on for this weekend.  I LOVE the summer fruit!  It's so photogenic, too!  Ha!  I'll take a picture of almost anything.

FMSC

We returned to Feed My Starving Children to pack meals that will be sent to hungry children around the world.  It's time well spent and fun, too!  Check them out.....http://www.fmsc.org/.

Supersize Dust Storm

On Tuesday, July 5 we made it home from Show Low just before this mountain of dust swallowed Phoenix.  We were so thankful to not be on the road when this thing hit.  I've lived in Arizona for 28 years and have never seen a haboob like this.  Isn't that a fun word to say....Haboob!!  Ha!  The cleanup was nasty and I'm still finding sand everywhere.....kind of like going to the beach.   We need a few big rain storms to wash everything off.   Hope you are doing your rain dance!  I am facinated by weather.  I have to know our local forecast daily and like to see what it's like around the world.   Kind of goofy.  I think I would enjoy being a meteorologist.....learning the science & statistics behind it.....not reporting it on your local news....BIG difference!   Maybe it's the calling of my second career!  Hmmmmm.....

Aren't these photos incredible!?  I borrowed them off the web.  Really shows the magnitude.

Show Low

We were lucky enough to get out of  The Valley of the Sun for the Fourth of July.  We escaped to the cool White Mountains to spend a couple nights with friends.  Cool temps, nature, lots of outside time, parade and friends......what else is there!?   Thanks so much Team G!



On an early morning walk, Mark and saw this fellow heading to the parade.  Nothing says 4th of July like a decorated John Deere!!  Love it!





Jackpot!



My kids have never been to a summer parade where they throw out so much candy....otter pops, bullet popsicles and HOT DOGS!  Oh, my!

 



My view as I read at the lake.  Fishing isn't my thing, but I don't mind the view and peace.





Hike along the Mogollon Rim. 







Firecracker Tri -- July 3rd

On Sunday, July 3 we were awake by 3:30am and driving away from our house by 4:00am with 5 bikes creatively loaded in our mini-van.  You are probably thinking...."Are they crazy?"......sometimes I wonder myself.    We were headed to our annual Firecracker Sprint Triathlon.  All 5 Team Brodnik members competed again this year!  Last year was Lois' first time and there were some tears in the pool so we weren't sure if she was scarred for life.  No way.....she was excited and ready!  This year she is a much stronger swimmer and she is sporting a new bike with gears!!  She did awesome!!!  Boys are veteran triathletes and did well, too despite the HOT temps.  The kids race began at 5:30am so they finished before the sun was burning hot.   Mark and I struggled a bit on the run because of the heat.  It's always a good day when you finish and can still smile!  We were anxious to get home and pack up for a trip to the cool White Mountains!!  A great reward!!  Off again!!



Great swim, Lois!! 



In transition getting her shoes on so she can bike 3 miles.



Peter in transition with Lois.  He was quick in the pool....100yd swim is cake for him!



Nice hustle, Luke!!  Have a nice ride!



Nice work, Peter!

 

Luke got 3rd in his age group!!