Why Carve?

My creative friend Kellie, a pre-school teacher, made the cutest PAINTED pumpkins with her children and neice this year. I thought to myself, "How clever". I made the mistake of elaborating on that thought...we could make those and they will be so cute, less messy and will not ROT as quickly. So, we tried it. Not nearly as successful. Kellie's were so cute. Ours, well, interesting. We are still not quite sure what Gracie's is supposed to be. However, it was fun anyway. We spilled paint. Burned our fingers with hot glue guns. Complained! The kids lost interest. The moms finished what was started. More burned fingers. More spilled paint. Disappointment over a six legged spider. What to do with a red pumpkin? Treats that turned tongues and teeth black. And finally the finished products...




Thanks mom for the picture collage (I stole it from her blog)!!!

Who will Survive???

Meet the Challengers...

Russ Hyde

Age:39
Weight: Less than 2 bills
Occupations: Service Manager at Alsco and Photographer for Castaway Films
Calling: 2nd Counselor in the YM Presidency and Scout Master
Hobbies: Flyfishing, Coaching Football, Playing Basketball and Golf, Building Bamboo Fly-rods

His Challenge: Flying on a plane for 23 hours to Australia. Spending 9 days on a boat. Flyfishing from sun up to sun down trying to catch Tarpon, GT's, Permit, and whatever else the oceans of the Outback hide. Shooting photos for the magazine, "Wild on the Fly". Eating fish for 9 days. Flying another 23 hours back to LA, then driving a new company car home to St. George.

The player's response to THE CHALLENGE: "Sounds rough".

We will see how tough he really is.

Kori Hyde

Age: 34
Weight: 10 lbs above fighting weight

Occupation: Exercise Physiologist and the Medical Volunteer Coordinator for the HWSG

Calling: 1st Counselor in the Primary Presidency

Hobbies: Running, Reading, Watching Sporting Events, Taking Care of Family

Her Challenge: To survive the 2nd week of the Huntsman World Senior Games with almost no medical volunteers for Racquetball and Volleyball (guess where the heart attack will happen?). Wrapping up the 2nd week of the games with NO spouse and having children out of school for Fall Break. Studying for and taking a test by Friday for a Metabolic Training class while wrapping up the HWSG with limited volunteers, no spouse, and children out on Fall Break. Working at the hospital while studying for a test, wrapping up... well you know the rest. Getting the kids to football and soccer practices after working at the hospital, while studying... etc., etc., etc.

The player's response to THE CHALLENGE: "Piece of Cake! Gimme something I haven't done before".

She's ALL talk!

The Children- Garrett, Grant, and Gracie Hyde

Ages: 10, 8, and 5
Weights: 73.5 lbs, 56 lbs, and 42 lbs

Occupations: Student/Athlete (that's kind of an oxymoron)

Hobbies: School, Reading, Football, Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Video Games, Drawing

Their Challenge: To live with their mother !!!

Players' response to THE CHALLENGE: "HELP US"

Poor little darlings... Is there anyone who can save them?!!!

As you have probably gathered from the challenges, Russ has left on a "business" trip with Castaway Films. They are flying to Brisbane, then to Cairns, then to Cape York Peninsula. They will fish mostly in the Gulf of Carpentaria. They are shooting pictures for a Magazine called "Wild on the Fly". Russ is a nervous wreck about this trip. I think the nervousness is because he knows how much I have going on at home this week. I think he is afraid he will come home and find all of his things being sold on Ebay and locks changed on the doors. Although I have threatened this in the past... I am making NO THREATS this time. I am actually excited for this trip. What an opportunity for Russ to have an expense paid trip to Australia to fish for 9 days. How could he pass up this chance?

I, on the other hand, am slightly BUSY this week. I have been the Medical Volunteer Coordinator for the Huntsman World Senior Games for three years now. Every year I have sworn I would NEVER do it again... yet here I am. I basically coordinate 700+ hours of medical volunteers to be on site at the various events. The HWSG have gone well thus far. We have only had a few minor injuries (a broken collar bone and arm in cycling, and a dislocated wrist in softball that required surgery). Some of my really scary sports are over... Track and Field, Women's Basketball and Softball, the Triathlon, Cycling, 10k Road Races, Men's 3x3 Basketball, and the Cowboy Shootout. This week we will continue the Men's Softball tournament (there were 336 softball teams this year), Volleyball (148 teams), Tennis, Racquetball, and Mountain Biking. I have very limited help at the end of this week due to Fall Break here in St. George. I am hoping it will all come together.

Wish each of us luck in our various challenges this week. I will report back in a week and let you know who is SURVIVING THE CHALLENGE.

AAAAARRRRGGGGHH!!!!

I love working with volunteers.
I love working with volunteers.
I love working with volunteers.

That's all you get for two weeks.

See you on October 19th.

EXPRESS yourself

During the first week of school, Grant had casually mentioned to me that he wanted to try out for the school choir. We talked about the time commitment... he would have to be to school an hour early, three days a week. We talked about dedication... if he was chosen, he had to stick with it all year, no changing his mind a month later. We talked about conflicts of schedules... he was already playing football. The coaches wouldn't appreciate him missing practices/games for performances, and Mr. Payne wouldn't appreciate missing performances for sporting events. I really didn't give the idea much more thought. When I was in Detroit last month, he tried out and was picked to be a member of Sunset Express. He was very excited, and of course that makes me so happy. However, I was a little nervous. He is my one child that has a hard time getting up in the morning. But, he loves being in the choir. Every morning when I go in his room to wake him up, he jumps right up out of bed and gets ready.
So far his football and choir schedules have not conflicted too bad. Today, he had a performance at Swiss Days in Santa Clara at 2:30 and then had to be to his football game at Dixie High School by 3:30. It was a little rushed, but it went very smoothly. He looks pretty cute up there singing and dancing. They have motions/dances that go along with each song they sing. The songs are very cute and I have been very impressed with the performances thus far. Mr. Payne is very dedicated to this little group kids. He puts so much time into arranging performances and preparing the kids for them. I am grateful to him for sharing his talents and love for music with Grant.

get a CLUE

So, tonight Russ and Garrett went home teaching. Gracie asked if we could play the game CLUE while they were gone. "Okay- sure", I said. Gracie and I set up the game. She, of course, was Miss Scarlet... who always gets to go first. On her third turn Gracie made her guess... Colonel Mustard, in the Billiard Room, with the Rope. I checked my cards... not a single one. I said, "Gracie, you did it. I don't have a single one of those cards". She replied, "I know, I have all three of them"!

I guess that is why on the front of the box it suggests for ages 8 and up! In three years it might be a fun game to play with little Lou. Today, well she was CLUEless.

Athlete? Maybe. Princess? Forever!

Last Thursday was Gracie's first soccer practice. I drove her clear across town, after dropping the boys off at football practice on the other side of town. We met her coach and the other girls on the team. Then Gracie went on the field with her teammates to practice. Gracie had her pointer finger in her mouth the ENTIRE practice and would hardly kick the ball. The only time her finger came out of her mouth was to PICK UP the soccer ball with her HANDS, place it where she wanted it, and then lightly tap the ball with her foot. I thought having gone to the watch the boys play soccer every year of her life, she would have picked up on a few things... like, DON'T TOUCH THE BALL WITH YOUR HANDS! Anyway, when practice was over the coach said she'd see us at the game and that it was going to be fun. UH- HUH, I thought. Sure it would be... for the parents whose daughters knew what they were doing.

Saturday morning we got to the game early for pictures. Gracie had been very particular about how we did her hair and what hair accessories she should have in her hair. She brought her new pink soccer ball to warm up with. You know, to pick up with her hands, place in front of the goal and kick it in. The game started and to no one's surprise, Gracie sat out during the first quarter. At the beginning of the second quarter she went into play. I was happy to see that her finger was not in her mouth. Instead, her arms were out to her side like she was flapping imaginary wings. She began chasing the ball down the field, screaming like a GIRL the whole time. She then took the ball away from the other team, WITH HER FEET, dribbled the ball down to her goal (still screaming), and scored her first goal! Here is a picture of it as she was kicking it in.

"What?" you ask! It is true. She was an animal out there. She was not afraid to get right in the middle of the action. She was everywhere the ball was with her arms up, and screaming. She scored THREE of four goals that morning.

I was in shock, and still am. She collided with her best friend, Ashlyn, during the game who happened to be playing against her. Poor Ash started crying and had to sit out for a while. Gracie jumped back up and got right back into the action. This was the collision :(

I was so ecstatic. I thought, "Yeah, maybe she won't be a cheerleader afterall". However, as soon as her game was over Gracie asked if she could take off the things that made her sweaty (the shin guards), take a bath to get clean, and have her toenails painted. Oh well, I will just have to keep trying.

are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

I love the Fall. I love the back-to-school season. The start of a new grade, new classes, new classmates, new teachers, new information, etc. I love the cooler temperatures that bring a desire to be outdoors. With that brings fresh air, fresh activities, fresh harvests from Russ' garden... yummm! I love Fall for the mere fact that the Holidays are soon approaching. The holidays mean quality time with extended family, quality EATING, quality cheer, quality giving, quality thankfulness. But my favorite part about Fall is that it is time for new, fresh, quality FOOTBALL GAMES! Yes, it is true. I absolutely love to watch football. And it is a good thing, because we are watching football most days of the week.

This weekend was a winning weekend. All of our favorite teams to cheer for won. It began last night with a big win for the Hurricane Tigers. They are 4-0 thus far in the season. Despite the worst home-town refereeing we have ever witnessed in Mesquite, NV, they were able to easily pull off a victory.

Next, was Garrett's football game. They won 33-0. Garrett played so good and had some very significant tackles. He has finally figured out how to hit... and he holds nothing back these days. Garrett is #17, with the long sleeved white shirt under his jersey. He has the long, skinny legs that look like they will snap if they get hit.

This second picture is of one of his big tackles in the game that forced the opponent to punt. Garrett felt sad because he made this kid cry when he tackled him. They both lied on the ground for a little while after this play.

Grant's football game was as good as Garrett's. They had a 35-0 victory. When his team shuts out the opponent, they get doughnuts at the following practice (doughnuts look like fat zeros, get it?!). Grant is #7 and is the second smallest player on his team. Both boys play cornerback and safety. Luckily, Grant is on a team with some HUGE boys and not too many opponents can get past their line. Therefore, little Grant doesn't get too much action in the back field... which is how his momma prefers it.

Finally, BYU had a huge victory over UCLA. A 59 to 0 huge victory. (And ESPN said they didn't deserve their win last week against Washington. I think that was BYU's way of telling them where they could go.) I will give everyone fair warning that this blog will mostly contain sporting news over the next few months. If you are not a sports fan, you can just not visit my blog until the 3rd week of November.