VISITING RELATIVES

A week ago today (Wednesday, May 2) we drove to Chandler, Arizona to visit with Tina, (Dad's youngest sister), David and Michelle, their daughter.

We had a lovely visit, got caught up on family doings and they treated us to a lovely dinner at Olive Garden. 

We spent the night there and the next morning (Thursday, May 3) drove to Queen Creek to visit Larry and Mary Agle, Dad's cousin. They were babysitting a couple of grandkids.

Larry is a Stake Patriarch.  Their daughter lives close by so it's nice for babysitting. 
Mary recently had surgery done on her hand.

On the way there we drove by the new Gilbert Temple which is under construction.

A R I Z O N A

I thought everyone knew that we were in Arizona for the last week, but apparently not everyone!

I was able to get a few posts ready and waiting and while at the hotel, used their computer to post them.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to start posting anew. 

I certainly have "fodder" what with Aria's triumpant game, January and Bob's dream vacation,  Zaynzley's blessing, Declan's baptism, the Germaine's store (it's a WOW) visits with Dad's sister and his cousin, to name a few.

Keep tuned in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ONE OF THE NEWEST MEMBERS IN THE FAMILY.

This wasn't taken on her birthday, but she is opeing a present.  That counts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUZANNE

Birthday greetings to Suzanne from us all.

This article is from the Nebraska Star Herald newspaper: 
(I've highlighted the really interesting bits!)

Posted: Saturday, April 28, 2012 11:58 pm | Updated: 11:59 pm, Sat Apr 28, 2012.

WNCC softball team extends winning streakWNCC Sports InformationStar Herald

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team picked up its 40th win of the season Saturday, shutting down Garden City Community College in a doubleheader at Volunteer Field.
Aria Agle recorded a grand slam in game one, leading the Cougars to a 7-0 win. In the second contest, Amanda Jones tossed a three-hitter in leading the Cougars to a 10-0 win. Saturday’s event was used as a fundraiser for the Scleroderma Foundation. A jersey auction brought in $1,795 for the foundation.

The teams will be back in action today in another doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. It will be the final home and regular-season games for WNCC’s six sophomores.
Agle, who connected on her second grand slam of the season, said the Cougars played well as a unit Saturday.
“We saw the ball, hit the ball, and played defense. When we didn’t make a play, we picked each other up on the next play,” the sophomore from Mapleton, Utah, said. “Our pitchers have done really well lately, and we are backing them up with hits, and that is really important. It gives them confidence.”
In the two wins, the Cougars combined for 17 runs on 16 hits, including three home runs and a triple. The Cougars have now won 11 straight games.
“This is a perfect time to peak with regionals coming up,” Agle said. “We are able to string things together. They say hitting is contagious, so we are making that true.”
WNCC flexed its offensive muscles late in the game. The Cougars led 1-0 after two innings after Agle doubled in Kasey Cash.
Cash came back in the fourth inning with a lead-off home run to centerfield to give WNCC a 2-0 lead.
WNCC opened up the game in the fifth as Agle smashed her second grand slam of the season, scoring Cash, Duran and Shalese Connary for a 6-0 lead.
Agle said she was patient and found her pitch to hit.
“I was just looking for something in my zone,” she said. “I saw it, and I just swung, hoping it was a line drive. It just so happens it went out. I am not a home-run hitter, but apparently I like to hit in clutch situations.”
The final run came after Sarah Hawryluk singled, stole second and then scored on a passed ball.
Agle was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, four RBIs, and a run scored. Cash scored three times.
Bianca Duran picked up the win in the circle, going seven innings, scattering six hits, striking out two and walking just one.
The Cougars continued their hot hitting in the second game, ripping seven hits. It didn’t take long for the Cougars to set the tone, scoring five runs in the first inning and three in the second to grab an 8-0 lead.
The big first-inning hit came from Gabi Palaxios, who had a three-run triple. In the second inning, the Cougars scored all their runs with two outs as Mariah Shepherd doubled to score two runs and then Cash singled to score another run.
WNCC added its final two runs in the fourth. Bianca Duran led off with a single, and Jocelyn Stubbs then ripped a two-run home run over centerfield.
Shepherd and Cash led the team at the plate, both going 2-for-3. Shepherd had two runs scored, two RBIs and a double, while Cash had three RBIs and a run scored.
Jones tossed another strong game, going five innings, allowing just three hits, walking one, and striking out three.
First Game
Garden CIty 000 000 0 — 0 6 2
WNCC 010 141 x — 7 9 1
WP — Bianca Duran; 2B — Aria Agle; HR — Agle, Kasey Cash.
Second Game
Garden City 000 00 — 0 3 1
WNCC (40-24) 530 2x — 10 7 1
WP — Amanda Jones; 2B — Mariah Shepherd; 3B — Gabi Shepherd; HR — Jocelyn Stubbs.

Erik, Kristin and family had an exciting weekend. Here, in his own words Erik shares:

A while back it seemed like a good idea to have the family sign up for the
La Jolla Marathon, ½ Marathon and 5k charity run. I volunteered to do the 5k with the kids and graciously allowed Kristin to participate in the much more challenging ½ marathon. We went down Saturday to pick up our shirts and registration packets and stayed the night with some friends of our who had also signed up.

We had to wake up at 4am (ugh) in order to allow time enough to get drive from Carlsbad to La Jolla (for those of you who don’t know La Jolla streets were not designed to handle the 11,000 runners entering town all at once and finding available parking spots). 

Once parked we waited until 6:30 to get onto a bus to take Kristin to the start and the kids and me to mile marker 10 where we would start our 5k. We decided that the boys were going to run separately at their own pace while I stayed with Lindsey. At 7:30 the gun went for both the 5K and the half marathon. At first the run was easy as it was all downhill for the first mile then things suddenly turned for the worse as what goes down must go up (ugh again). Despite the numerous hills Ryan blew through the course in 27 minutes and change, Nate and Travis finished 3 minutes later. I had a hard time keeping up with Lindsey and frequently asked her to stop and let me take her picture but we finished at a respectable 50 minutes.

Kristin who has been fighting a cold all week and had a solid 4 hours sleep before the race did an amazing job finishing the half marathon in 2 hours and 31 minutes. A great time considering she had a nasty fall at mile 12 which made for a nice road rash on her shoulder and seriously ugly knot and bruise on her elbow that will be a nice souvenir of her weekend in La Jolla that she can cherish for many weeks.

The kids did a great job on the race and had plenty of energy to burn afterwards and went to the sidelines to cheer on Kristin and the rest of the racers as they neared the finish line. For our first race as a family everyone had a good time and had better attitudes despite the early wake up call and the waiting around. I look forward to future races (possibly closer to home to avoid the 4am wake up call) with the kids as they push Kristin and I to hit the gym so we can have a chance of keeping up with them.

But on the way home . . .

Erik told me that when the kids arrived home, they were raring to go again and played like there was no tomorrow, (or race earlier that day for that matter!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANNIGAN!

Yes, it's been a year since the puppy Brannigan joined the Springville Agle household.  Sue writes:

Saturday April 28th we had a birthday in our house.....Brannigan was 1 year old. we actually got him in June of 2011 but he was born April 28th.

 Being 1 in dog years is the equivalent of 7 years in human reckoning and yes, it is like having a 7 year old little boy in our house. He still likes to chew things but we have better control of that now. His favorite pass time is thievery. He will steal shoes, cuddly toys from the bedrooms, dog treats if I don't close the pantry doors. He has stolen and destroyed this past year 1 cell phone, 1 TV remote control, 1 ward directory, 1 pair of sunglasses, several newspapers and many things I can't even remember.

He has a very different personality than Abish had. He is alot more wary than Abish was and has a very "in your face" attitude. Typical little boy! He is wary of bikers, skate boarders and people out on walks. We had a couple of scary incidents with the afore mentioned groups when he was younger but he is learning. He now sits when he sees them approaching, we shorten the leash to where he is right up against my leg and we have treats ready for a successful encounter. We have learned that Brannigan speaks "food" very well.

    We have been to obedience classes with some success but there were just too many distractions to really be obedient! I have better success with him at home, teaching one on one. He goes on 2 walks a day and has 2 play sessions in the back garden every day with the tennis balls. He loves to retrieve but not very good on the concept of bringing it back! He has some favorite toys but his favorite chew toy is....Sashy! Yes, he likes to chew on Sash. Maybe she tastes good, who knows. When he gets in trouble, which is a daily occurrence, he always looks to Danielle if she is home because she has so much patience with him.

    Everyone who sees him says he is a beautiful dog. They should spend a day with him and then make that comment! It has been a tough year but I am so glad that we have persevered with him. Now that I understand him better and have figured out the best schedule for him, I see only continued success. Brannigan Murphy, you may be a handful but you are well loved and I, for one, am so glad you are with us.



Why yes.  EVERYONE loves Brannigan!