Summer Vacation?

Tony and I just spent four days with my dad in Des Moines, Iowa, at the NCAA Track and Field Championships. Some have questioned this choice for our summer vacation, but we absolutely loved it! We started out last Monday afternoon, and went as far as Cheyenne, where Tony's brother lives. We enjoyed visiting with them and seeing their new baby, and the kids absolutely LOVED playing with their cousins there. Tuesday we went across the next state, Nebraska, and stopped at Tony's sister's house in Omaha. We stayed with them for the night, and also were able to visit my cousin and her husband who live almost next door! The next morning, we went to the Council Bluffs Temple and Visitors' Center. We didn't have a whole lot of time to spend there, but it was really neat. We toured the center and learned more about the Mormon Pioneers and their struggles in going west. Connor and Mylie got to try packing a wagon (mini-sized) and try on pioneer clothing. They make such cute pioneer children!

After touring the visitors' center, we went up the hill to the cemetery. About 40% of the pioneers buried there were age 3 or younger. The statue we are standing in front of shows a couple burying their baby, knowing that they will move on and most likely never return there. It was heartbreaking to think about what they went through.

After seeing the sights there, Tony, my dad, and I headed east, and Haley (Tony's sister) took the kids with her back home. She was kind enough to watch them for four days, and they had a BLAST there! I'm not sure they even wanted to come home after playing at the park, going to the zoo, visiting the botanical gardens and children's museum, and watching a fireworks show. And the best part of all was eating at Chuck E. Cheese's. While they were having a ball, so were we in a different sort of way. I've always been a track fan, and my dad has been going to this meet for about 6 years now. Tony is a track coach, as is my dad, so the three of us just had a great time marveling at the incredible athletes at this meet. Not trying to bore any of you non-track fans, but here are a couple of the highlights for me:

1. Jenny Barringer from Colorado ran the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 9:29, which was a new collegiate record and the fastest time EVER run on U.S. soil by any female athlete from any country! It was amazing to witness. This is her during the first lap. They're already chasing here, and that's all they could do. She beat the second place finisher by nearly 30 seconds.

2. Jacquelyn Johnson from Arizona State won the women's heptathlon for the fourth straight year. She also won it 3 times indoor. Impressive.

3. The high jump winner for the men jumped 7'7". Can you imagine?

4. The woman that won triple jump jumped 47'11". I remember being absolutely amazed when I saw a high school boy get 46' once. This GIRL outjumped him by nearly 2 feet!

5. The winner in the women's 1500 ran it in 4:05. It didn't know this was physically possible.

6. I'd never watched the decathlon or heptathlon before, and we had fun following that. Also, I'd never watched the hammer throw before. It was fascinating.

I could go on and on with all the incredible performances during the four days there. If you're interested and would like to look up the results for your favorite event, you can find them at www.ncaa.com/track-and-field-outdoor/article.aspx?id=255014

Just look through each day to find what you want. If you've ever done any track and field event, you'll be blown away by what these athletes can do.