Han Solo and a Garbage Man

Isaac just loves everything about garbage trucks. There is no better time than Halloween to dress up like your favorite things. Ricki made Isaac's coveralls. Notice his name is on the front, Company Logo on the back, his garbage can candy holder and his work gloves (click on the picture to see a larger version). He plans to wear the outfit again on Monday when the real professionals come to pick up our trash.

Ashton loves all things Star Wars. Ricki was relieved to (only) make a Han Solo costume instead of a storm trooper...

Mountain Unicycling

Today my friend, Cooper Trail, and I celebrated my 13th birthday by unicycling on Moscow Mountain. We had all the right gear. We both have trials-style unicycles, helmets, knee pads, and shin guards. For my birthday, we designed the custom hoodies you can see in the pictures. The front of the sweat shirt says "It takes twice the man to ride half the bike" with a sweet uni image my dad made.

We went to a place called Idler's Rest on Moscow Mountain to ride the trails and fallen logs. We found out that it's harder than we thought to ride the top of a log — but we can still do it (and have the video to prove it). Normally Cooper and I ride stairs and other urban obstacles so it was fun to try our skills on the mountain.

After riding, we went back home for birthday cake. Mom and I made this awesome uni-cake. Let me know what you think about our riding. -- Skyler

My Baptism (by Ashton)

Today is my birthday. I turned 8 years old. It was my Baptism also. It was nice to have lots of my family at my baptism. Grandma & Grandpa Farrer, Granddad & Grandma Martin, Uncle Kyle and Uncle Wiley were there. [Click the links to see photos.]


At first, I was kind of nervous. After my dad baptized me, I felt glad and really peaceful.

Write me a note and tell me what you think of my first blog post. From Ashton.

Fall Colors, Handsome Boys

Aren't these some handsome boys! The fall colors were provided by the University of Idaho Arboretum. Next time you visit, we'll take you there for a walk.

Legos, Legos, Legos...

"I'm sorry for dumping the legos down the stairs" Isaac says now. At the time, he admits to thinking "I bet dumping these legos will be fun..."

Ricki and I often wonder if the day will come when we don't step on, vacuum up, or find these "wonderful" little plastic bits all around the house. Is it any wonder how they get to every corner of our home?

BSA Scoutmaster Training

I survived the Outdoor Leadership Skills portion of the "official" BSA Scoutmaster training this weekend. This was the last hoop I had to jump through to get my official "Trained" patch (and make it easier for our Scout Committee Chair to get our unit re-chartered). Even though it wasn't explicitly stated, I think the whole point of the outdoor training is to make sure we know how to "camp". I helped lash our flag pole (I did a little "cramming" the night before on my knots). I also got to cook the pancakes over the open fire (not my favorite camping style). It was interesting to see the different approaches: some of us had "backpacking" gear, others had "car camping" gear with complete kitchen kits, etc.

The training was at the same time as our district Fall Camporee. My "patrol" of 6 fellow scoutmaster had to participate just like the boys. This is an picture of us trying to figure out how to get 4 "large" adults to all stand on one tiny piece of wood -- ah, team building (we failed). As a group, we toured and "judged" the campsites and activities of the participating troops. If you're really bored, you can see more images here thanks to a member of my patrol who brought a camera.

After a very long day of activities and training in the cold and rain, I finally received my "Trained" card and patch at the campfire late Saturday evening — but not until we'd performed our patrol skit! Yes, the training did help me think of a few things that will help me be a better scoutmaster to my boys. Yes, I'm also glad it's all over.

P.S. I've been a scoutmaster for almost 4 years. Now that I'm officially trained, I'm sure I'll get a new assignment soon. Isn't that how it usually works?

Moscow XC

Clarkston hosted a joint Jr. High and High School Cross Country meet yesterday. We all went to cheer for Kaleb and Skyler. This was Sky's first meet. Don't they look good in their uniforms?

 

Life is expensive...

FY2007 recently ended for Decagon. It was a reasonably good year so there was a little something extra in the last paycheck. This is a good thing after all the back-to-school cloths shopping, school fees, and gas money for summer travels (including the ticket I got in Salem). Let's not forget the new vacuum cleaner (as an anniversary present!), bike/exercise gear, triathlon entry fee, and a new dishwasher (I just installed it yesterday -- yeah!).

Now we can start working towards: one new tire, break job, and alignment for the van; replacing our 5+ year-old computer that only works occasionally; and Ashton's upcoming orthodontia work. It never ends...

Palouse Sprint Triathlon

When it comes to exercising, Ricki and I need a "goal" to help motivate us. For the past year or so, our goal was to get in shape for the Palouse Sprint Triathlon. Saturday the 8th was the big day.

The PST starts with a 500 yard swim in an outdoor pool. I thought it was a little strange swimming with 3 other people in my lane. We were instructed to "tap" the feet of the swimmer in front when we wanted to pass (with all passing waiting until the closest end of the pool). I found a good pace in the pool and felt great as I entered T1.

After leaving the pool, we rode 9.3 miles on our bikes. The Palouse is known for it's rolling hills. A Palouse triathlon wouldn't be right without hills -- lots of hills. Ricki's spinning classes really paid off for her. She says the bike was her strongest part of the race (doesn't she look great on her bike?). I rode hard (maybe too hard).

The race finishes with a 5K run (3.1 miles). This is when the race started to get painful. Several of the people I passed on the bike caught me on the run. One of the interesting things about Triathlons is your race number is written on your right calf. Your left calf announces your age -- in big, black marker. It's not so bad to have some young 20-year-old pass you by; however, both Ricki and I found it humbling to be passed by people much older than ourselves.

It was great to have Isaac, Ashton, Skyler and Grandma JoLyn cheering us on at several points along the race. Skyler did a great job with the camera and we really appreciate Grandma JoLyn watching the kids so Ricki and I could concentrate on the race. The photo above is Isaac at the finish line borrowing the race director's megaphone. He knew what to say!

I finished in 1:11:32, Ricki in 1:43:41 (about what we expected). Ricki exclaimed, "I am so doing this again next year!" at the end of the race. This is good to hear considering what she said the night before (pre-race jitters). All the gory details for the race times and our age-group finishes are here. Funny story: I bought a cheap Timex "Ironman" watch the night before the race. I took the time to learn how to use the lap counter so I could keep track of each portion of the race. I forgot to start the timer...

Now that the race is over, we both feel the emptiness of not having a goal to keep us training. Sure, we have next year to look forward to; but we need something in the near term. Got an idea for a new goal? Drop us an email or leave a comment.