Triathlon Times

Since Arlen moved to Amarillo in 2005, he's trained for and participated in several small triathlons. We have actually gone and watched at a few of them, but always sans camera. This time we took a camera, complete with supportive logo t-shirts, but somehow ended up without any photos of Arlen. He's just too fast!! (That's the only thing I can think of.) This particular triathlon was held in a gated community which has a private lake. The lake had just turned or something and newly disturbed organisms had killed a lot of the fish, so the place stunk like rotted things!!! Thus the photo with carefully pinched noses!

Anyway, Arlen had a blast making the tee's for the kids and did fairly well in the race to boot.

More News from Hong Kong

Dalon sent more pics. Just a little update on him. He was made Senior companion several months ago and more recently a trainer. His mission president sent the nicest letter. (Arlen wonders if it's a form letter, but I choose to think he only says wonderful things about MY son.) :-) He said, "I want you to know how much I love and admire your son and I know that Heavenly Father loves him as well. He is an exemplary missionary in every way." That does a mother's heart good! The letter goes on to define the responsibility of being a trainer. "One of the greatest expressions of trust that you can give a missionary is to assign him or her as a trainer of a new missionary." We're so happy for that trust that's been placed in Dalon. Anyway, the pics of Tung Chung on Landau Island are beautiful and I wanted to share.

Summer Recaps

I figure this is better late than never.

Carston and cousin, Collin at EFY held at Utah State University in July.

The VEST family reunion met to celebrate Kari's mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary.

Mom and Dad's posterity = 5 children, 25 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, so far.

Grant and Gayle Vest hold up a gift given by my sister, Kami. I loved what this said. "All Because Two People Fell in Love..."

We were also able to attend the Pixton Reunion in Draper, UT. The cousins played Ultimate frisbee.
My mom (center back) and her siblings sing a fun song.

L to R: Eunice (Robert's wife), Uncle Robert, my Dad, Aunt Sylvia, Mom, Aunt Cleone, Aunt Janice, Uncle Howard(hidden in back), Aunt Joann, and Howard's wife, Margene(peeking out)
Lauren and cousins, Kelsey and Keaton at Bear Lake in Garden City, Ut

Swim lessons after the reunion was over.

We celebrated Dalon's 20th birthday Aug. 11, even though he's in Hong Kong. We got to celebrate with our Amarillo Vest cousins while their new baby brother, Kolby Kyle was born. Now, Dalon has a birthday mate. How many people get a new cousin for their birthday? We thought it was pretty cool.

TOO FUNNY

Man, this is hilarious. I took it from the Greenmun's blog, so I thought I would give credit there, but I wanted to expose those who don't surf that blog to some great political satire... Kind of in the tone of SNL. Loved the Sarah Palin/Hillary Clinton spoof too, but that's a different link.

Click HERE to enjoy the joy of Politics.

Heroes

A Little More Space

Lauren has had an exciting vacation this year. Her first tooth came out and the tooth fairy left a whole dollar!!

Gone Fishin'

We're currently in Providence, UT visiting Grandma and Grandpa Vest. Grandpa took the kids fishing one day. Look what happened in the first fifteen minutes!

Independence

Each child has their own phase of independence - Lauren now makes her own peanut butter sandwiches, Bowen asserts his independence by answering everything by saying the opposite of what we need to hear. Landon now rides his bike around Canyon without supervision. And...

Carston got a job! He's officially on duty at Wendy's - which by his estimation is better than McDonalds. We warned him not to ask if the customer's wanted their order "supersized"! He's excited to finally have a way to earn a little extra dough and I'm excited to see him find this opportunity all on his own. Woo hoo! One more child on his way to independence!

We're grateful for Dalon's independence in a foreign country. Dalon has been in Tung Chung almost two weeks at this writing. We heard from him last week that some mudslides had blocked roadways on the island and that the missionaries had been called in to help try to move the mud out of the way, bucket by bucket. Apparently it started raining so hard while working that the government pulled every one out of the area for fear of more mud slides, so his service time was cut short. I found the following article on the church website concerning this very event(see link) and lo, and behold Dalon is in one of the pics. It's a very small pic and I've done my best to make Dalon a little more visible.

Hong Kong Floods

As we celebrate our country's independence in the next few weeks, I'm just very grateful for the men and women who are serving our country. Some are not much older than my own children and it's a scary prospect to think of them in harm's way, but I admire their efforts, bravery, and dedication to their job at this time.

Lovin' Summer

I so enjoy the summer and the lazy days and the lack of someone else's schedule. We're getting up later, eating breakfast unrushed and (after chores) playing throughout the day. We've got our little garden growing and progressing with plenty of water and the kids also surviving with plenty of water. They regularly wear swimsuits and play with the hose to keep cool. I am still working a few hours each day at the Real Estate thing, but my kids are where my thoughts consistently lead me. Later in the summer, we will travel to Utah and play there for four weeks.

Dalon has finally been transferred from Kwun Tong to Tung Chung. He apparently caught the fancy of a young lady who thought she might pursue him. So, wisely, he was moved. He says Tung Chung is cleaner, rural, and by the ocean. They are on an island with a branch of about 50 people. His companion is a former Marine -"oo-rah"- who apparently does 360 push ups every morning. He could teach Dalon a thing or two, I'm sure. :-)

Promenade

Another driver!

Woo hoo! Carston got his driver's license! I have no pics at the moment. I'll post one sooner or later. It's still hard for me to see him behind the wheel, but I've been taking full advantage of the situation and have him running errands for me OFTEN! Luckily, Canyon is a small town and the max speed is 30 mph and there are plenty of stop signs, lights, etc. Keeps the teenagers grounded and the parents sane. We're very proud of Carston and his new found independence. One major obstacle overcome and now on to the Eagle Project and moving toward Senior Year!

Catching UP!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have blogged. Time seems to speed by leaving us in its wake at times, seems to sweep us along with it at times, and then there are those rare moments when it stands still long enough for us to take a mental picture and form an impression that we will never forget. Today I'll share some of those moments and even share some actual pictures so you can see why we need to catch up.

We have had 4 birthdays since the beginning of the year. All of which were low key and uneventful in nature, but special to those being honored. Bowen did turn 8 this year and was privileged to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by his big brother, Carston. It was a great experience for Carston to exercise his priesthood in a different ordinance. Landon and cousin, Collin Hall, sang "I Am a Child of God" with Landon taking the descant in the chorus. It was very nice. My brother, Kyle, and his family and my sister, Lani, and her family as well as Mom and Dad Work all attended. It made for a terrific day for Bowen.

You may notice that Bowen has started wearing glasses. Recently, Landon got contacts and feels free from the burden a piece of metal sitting on your nose can be. Landon also tried out and made it into the Amarillo Boys Preparatory Choir, which he has thoroughly enjoyed. He will start with the Amarillo Boys Concert Choir in the fall - a promotion made by the directors. We are so happy for him and love to see his love of music.

Lauren has been jumping and tumbling her way to medal after medal. Now, granted, they give all participants medals. :-) So, it may seem a little like it's not such a big deal. BUT, the majority of her medals have been 1st place medals, so I think they count. She was also recently awarded State Champion in the Double-mini trampoline, 5-6 yr olds, level 2 in the Panhandle area. I think that counts too. She has really had a great time going to the meets and learning some valuable lessons. At home she has recently started to reign in her mischievous, teaser, "push every button my brother has" side of herself. She has said to me, "I just always want to choose the wrong." and "I need to learn how to stop fighting." When she does well she is sure to point out that she's "choosing good things." and " doing what Jesus wants me to do." We love her for being so intuitive and so willing to try to better herself all on her own and at such a young age!!

Lastly, a little update on our beloved Dalon. He is still in Kwun Tong at this writing and enjoying every moment of his time. He bears testimony to us in so many of his letters and is just growing stronger and stronger in his conviction of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He's been blessed to be part of a baptism already. A Bro. Lee was baptized and has led the missionaries to teach others through the sharing of his testimony. How important the members are to the furthering of the work of God. Dalon has been out for almost EIGHT months. I cannot believe he is more than a quarter of the way through. Remember what I said about time at the beginning of this post? I'm so grateful that I've been so busy so that I do not miss Dalon so much. We look forward to his emails every week and his pictures and his example for our other children. We have been so blessed by his service and work. I'm including a picture of Hong Kong at night. It's so beautiful and reminds me of the light that Dalon is sharing in that part of the world. Love to you all!!

Finally Here

Finally! Pics from Hong Kong. Proof that Dalon is alive and well and loving what he's doing. The above pic is of Dalon with his Trainer, Elder Ross. We thank God for him and the goodness he showed Dalon in his first weeks in Hong Kong! Dalon's emails are very positive and he continues to improve in his language skills and his people skills. They do not tract there in HK, instead they street contact which involves stopping people as they are traveling and trying to strike up a conversation. A major challenge for Dalon, but one that will bring him many blessings as he masters that challenge! The next pic is something I call "Dominoes". I think if one building falls they'll all go!!

This one is of the longest suspension bridge in the world. We all thought that was a Golden Gate bridge honor.

We're still here lovin' and livin' life!