Track Stars

Last night was the county-wide Hershey Track Meet. It was open to students age 9-14, and they competed in age groups: 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14. Emily and Jenna both entered the 100 meter and the 200 meter. There were probably 100 kids entered into the meet. First, here's Jenna in the 100 meter:

She had the 8th best time over all (I think there were 16 total in the 9-10 age group that ran the 100m).

Next, Emily ran the 100m:

When we left, they hadn't posted her results yet. But no matter how she placed, look at that form!!!

Next Jenna did the 200m. She was pretty wiped...I don't think we fed her enough. We were trying to keep her from getting sick, not running on a full stomach. But we neglected to consider that Jenna is the child who can eat every 30 - 45 minutes when we're at home, both before and after meals. So we should have given her a little energy boost.

But as you can see, she still ran so fast the camera couldn't get her without blurring:

Or, perhaps it's just fuzzy. Nah, we're stickin' with Jenna bein' a speed demon! She took 3rd place in this race. Can't imagine how she'd have done with some food in her belly.

Em finished the meet with her showing in the 200m. Once again, no results when we left, but I'm pretty sure she got 5th place in this one. Sorry no pic. Karen tried to get her, but there was no one in the pic. Guess Em was so fast she just blazed past the camera before she could click!

Here they both are, cooling their heels at the finish line. Once the races were finished, the kids had to stand in their lane at the finish line while the judges recorded the results and made sure they had the correct winners for each place.

One thing I didn't expect was how nerve-wracking it would be for us parents!! Our girls have never wanted to do sports, so we've never had to watch from the sidelines or wait anxiously for them to compete. This was a new experience for us; if I was a nail-biter I wouldn't have had any nails left to chew by the end. However, the bag of Baked Lays, as well as some Chex Mix, were sacrificed to my nervous eating.

Smelly art...and God's art

This morning, Anya, Jenna and I decided to do some scratch & sniff watercolors.

How, you say, do you make watercolors that are fragrant? I'm so glad you asked...

You take various packs of unsweetened Kool-Aid, put them in small containers (we used a muffin tin), add an equal amount of water, mix well, and VOILA! Smelly paint! You use them just like watercolors. While we painted our fabulous objets d'art, the kitchen smelled very fruity. And now that they're dry, they not only look beautiful, they smell dang good when you scratch 'em!

Sorry we don't have smell-o-vision so you could experience them fully.

This evening, God got out his paint set as well...
With this next one, we could practically see the leprauchauns guarding the pot of gold - it was right there in the park, just three houses away!!

These pictures, of course, can't show how vivid it really was. We stepped outside and it made us all gasp! The colors were just eye-popping!

No scratch and sniff with the rainbow, though.

Check these out...

Two quick plugs for a book and a CD I just came across this week.

The first is a book by Nancy Ortberg:


This is the BEST non-fiction book on the Christian life that I have read in years. Maybe she just connects with me where I am right now. From my viewpoint, utterly brilliant. Simple to read, authentic, gripping, nod my head, weep with joy, laugh, keep the light on and stay up late...don't miss this.

Second, a new CD, just out on May 20, from one of my favorite artists, Warren Barfield.

Warren has a kind of blues-y voice over guitar-led tracks. Great lyrics, great music. I honestly don't know why this guy hasn't gotten more airplay on Christian radio...probably some sort of conspiracy. So I'm doing my part to spread the word. His previous release, "Reach" is fab-o, too.

Sorry, no news of the Smith Fam this time. Just good ways to spend your hard earned bucks.

A monastic life

It's been a few days since we've posted, as I, the official poster, have been spending some time at a monastery. Yes, you read that right. After much thought, I've decided to devote my life to the church in a different way...and a different church.

Okay, not really.

But I did spend three days at the monastery in Huntsville, UT. (Who knew that out here in the middle of Mormon America, there was a home for Catholic Trappist monks?) You can click the title of this post to go to their website. They have guest quarters where people, such as myself, can come and retreat for a few days. No shaving of the head or wearing of robes required. Celibacy, yes, but only because my wife was over 100 miles away.

It was actually a very refreshing few days. No computer, no tv, no cell. Just lots of reading, writing, and listening. I thought I might get a little stir crazy, but found instead that I was extremely content. They have prayers (chanting of the psalms plus a hymn and a scripture reading, followed by silent prayer) 7 times a day, plus a mass each day. Those of us on retreat are free to attend any or all of the prayer services, and mass, but of course as a non-catholic I could not take the eucharist (communion for us protestants). There were a couple of other guys there at the same time as me, and while we talked at meal times, the rest of the days and nights were simply God and me.

The services are spaced throughout the day, with the first one, Vigil, beginning at 3:30 am. Yes, that's in the morning.

When it's still dark.

And they always begin the prayer services by ringing the chapel bells.

Before every service.

Including the ones at 6 am. And 3:30 am.

And most services end with a series of bell rings (3 rings, break, 3 rings, break, 3 rings, break, multiple rings) Including the first service which ends around 4 am.

Do you get the sense that a normal sleep pattern was not part of my retreat?

I must say, the monastic life didn't appear very joyful, at least just watching them from my perspective. But what I did appreciate was the way the psalms and prayer were infused into my days. By including a portion of the psalms in each service, every two weeks, they have sung, actually chanted, all 150 psalms during the liturgy. And then they begin again. And while it was rather emotionless, I couldn't help but be moved as I listened and read along as they recited the psalms. Regardless of their expression (or lack thereof), God's Word is incredibly powerful, beautiful, and filled with hope. Having it actively folded into my day only made me more aware of the continual presence of God, even away from the chapel.

I even made it to Vigil at 3:30 in the morning.

Once.

As I said, my sleep schedule was a bit wacky, so since I was awake, I seized the moment. It was a strange sensation, rising from bed at that hour, walking a few steps to a chapel, and jumping into worship of the Lord, especially worship so far away from my paradigm. Strange, but invigorating. As tired as I was, I couldn't immediately go back to sleep. And when I did, the 6:00 bells awakened me a mere thirty minutes later.

I'll definitely do it again. That extended time of quiet and solitude not only refreshed me, it gave me time to come to some needed conclusions, answer some questions that had been roaming around the back of my mind. Most of all, be still and know that He is God.

Next time, though, I may bring earplugs.

And...they're off!

Today, Emily and Jenna participated in their first track meet! They raced and competed against other kids from their school track club. They've been practicing after school twice a week, working on long and short distance running, as well as long jump and softball throw. For today's big event, they got to choose two running events and one of the field events.

Jenna and Emily both chose the 200m, and the long jump. Emily also did the 50m and Jenna did the 100m. Jenna got third in the 100m! Here they are about halfway through the 200m:

They really rocked it! Jenna took first place and Emily took second. Karen and I both knew those long, lean bodies were made to run! Here's Jenn (and friend Hannah) immediately after her win in the 200m:


And Emily recovering from her second place in the 200m:
They didn't actually compete in the long jump...they practiced it many times while we waited on other events, but finally decided to head home before the actual event. It was the last one of the day, and by then, everyone was tired and hungry.

[Next week, they'll compete in a city wide meet, with students their age from all over the county.]

So we headed home a bit early...with Vangelis' Chariots Of Fire playing in the background.

A birthday, a wedding and a trip

A birthday: Today is officially Anya's birthday, and while we had a party last weekend, we still had to recognize the day. She got the game of Life from us 'rents, as well as some simply fabulous, creative, festive cards from her sisters. And woke up to a delicious breakfast of G'ma french toast (it's kind of like a cross between french toast and a cinnamon roll; you don't put syrup on it, unless of course you have some desire to slip into a hyper-glycemic coma).

A wedding: I am headed out this afternoon to officiate a wedding for a couple in our church. I love doing weddings, and I've really enjoyed meeting with this couple over the past months as we've headed toward this day. If only the actual day could be as relaxed as all the days we've had leading up to it. I ache for the bride, because I know she (like every bride) wants this day to be special, memorable, enjoyable, but all the details of planning during this last week only seem to provide stress and emotion. I'm praying that once we get to the ceremony this aft, there will be simplicity and joy, and that they can truly focus on this covenant, and sense the presence of God as they join their lives together.

A trip: As I mentioned in a previous post, Karen is away at a conference today. She tried to lessen my sadness at her absence by leaving this on my pillow: It definitely doesn't replace her, but it certainly makes the time we're apart taste better!

She's at a Beth Moore conference this weekend, along with a friend from here. For those of you unfamiliar, Beth Moore is a Christian writer and speaker, founder of Living Proof Ministries (http://www.lproof.org/). Weird, random event that happened to us back in Oct 06: We had taken a trip down to Moab, Utah and were hiking through Arches National Park, when we come upon a crew doing some filming. The ranger asks us to wait a minute, and when they stop filming for a moment and we hike by, it's Beth Moore recording some of the intro footage for an upcoming Bible Study series! We talked with her for just a minute and snapped a pic or two.

She mentions meeting Karen and our family in one of her studies...can't remember which one, 'cause I haven't done any of them. If Karen was here, she'd know; but, she's with Beth...again :)

Totally random

There's nothing that ties these shots together. Just a few odd pix I thought I'd put out there. Mainly because we're all so darn cute!

Four beautiful girls. BTW, Anya is sporting some new duds. Thanks, Aunt LeAnne!!


These are "mini-me". (not mini-Rich; mini-me, themselves; get it?) They put on big shirts, scrunch down with knees inside and then walk/scoot around. Here they were spies...or something like that. Or maybe they were just cool. I can't really say. And even if I could, they'd probably have to kill me afterward.


Just some Dad hugs and giggling.



Mom and Em, cuddle bugs.

G'pa is just a short bike ride away from us. He lives only 2 blocks north of us, but there's an orchard in between us, so we have to ride around it. Anyway, we saddled up for a quick trek over to Camp G'pa. Note Anya's runway pose. Tres chic.

Luke 12:33

Not sure what that verse says? Click on it for a link to the passage courtesy of Bible Gateway.

For the next two months, the small groups in our church (www.christev.org) are each combining the stuff of the people in their group and hosting yard sales. All the money we raise at each sale is going to help Every Child Ministries (www.ecmafrica.org) as they partner with Gulu Bible Church to purchase a building in Uganda. The building will be used as a ministry center to help the "invisible children" who have been displaced by all the upheaval that has taken place in recent years in Uganda, as well as a place of worship for the church.

So, Saturday morning, we all gathered our stuff and spread it out on the lawn and driveway of one of our friend's homes:


There was SO much stuff, so other than a few large items, we didn't price anything. We simply told shoppers where the money was going and told them to donate what they thought their purchases were worth. For the most part it worked well.
I am truly amazed, though, how the garage sale mentality affects shoppers. There were times when people simply HAD to haggle, because they were at a garage sale. This in spite of the obvious lack of prices and clear explanation why! Our group had a great time together, though, and in the end we raised $923! Our group's was the first sale...we'll see over the next 6 weeks or so how much more comes in. Big fun, with a purpose!

14 years old!...almost

We had a festivus!! Anya had a birthday party a week early, as next weekend when we should be celebrating, both her parents have other things scheduled. (yes, we have already been nominated for most wretched parents. Oh, the shame...)

We had a few of Anya's friends over for pizza and fun. Here's the bday gal with 4 candles, as it's a bit difficult to get 14 on two cupcakes.
Instead of a cake, Anya wanted to have cupcakes; we gave everybody a couple and let them frost and decorate them. Kind of crafty, creative...and saves the parents from decorating a cake. :) Here's all the gals ready to dig in to their creations.

Working on their wood initials. They painted them, then went back later and added stickers.


We had a cut throat game of Pictionary. Here's friend Chelsea putting her artistic skills to work. Can you tell what she drew?

(Hint: the squiggly line is a mountain of snow...the word rhymes with toe-hoarder)

After the Wii Play tourney, involving cow racing, target shooting, laser hockey and tennis, the Queen of Wii was crowned. Nicole blew away the competition, and so all the other girls bowed in submission to the queen, holding her scepter, a Wii remote, of course.

We finished the evening with several rounds of American Idol Karaoke. Laurie and Anya rockin' out to Walkin' On Sunshine...or Rio...or some 80's tune. I couldn't believe they even knew them.

Big fun for all! And she's not even officially 14 yet!

Hey Hey It's Her Birthday!

Tuesday was beautiful Karen's birthday. She celebrated birthday number forty...something. As I frequently remind her, it doesn't matter how old she is; she will always look far younger than her age and I'll always look far older than mine, so although she is older, no one would ever believe it. Here she is with three sweet girls and their handmade cards.

And how did we celebrate? Well, that's a subject that's a little touchy. Karen is a girl who really values a quiet evening "partying" with her family. But what did we do, not only this year, but last year as well? We spent the evening with our church staff team having dinner together as part of a planning retreat. Which is great! Karen and I both love spending time with them. But it's not exactly what she would choose for her birthday celebration...two years in a row.

Yes, I've already informed the staff team that next year we can NOT under any circumstances have a retreat on May 6. Off limits, verboten, skull and crossbones, police-line-do-not-cross, read my lips, not happening.

Fortunately, Karen's kind of partial to me. A few big smooches and I'm Superman again...minus the tights and cape.

Sunday Dinner

After church on Sunday, we almost always go out to eat (much to the annoyance of our wonderdog, Shelby, who I swear, has the largest bladder of any animal ever formed into being. We leave her home for anywhere from 4-8 hours on Sundays and she NEVER goes in the house.).


Now, I'm sure you may be thinking, "Uh, Rich, going out on Sunday is a pretty lame topic to post. Move it along...." However, I thought it pertinent to include this as our going out to dinner on Sunday is most likely not akin to your going out to dinner on Sunday. (By the way, this pic was from our dinner out today at Red Robin with our totally awesome G'pa!) You see, we live in Utah Valley, which, I believe, is the last place in America that still basically shuts down on Sundays. There's over 450,000 people in our metro area, and yet all day Sunday there is virtually no traffic. We've never had to wait for a table on a Sunday afternoon...never. Not once. Not even on Mother's Day. Today at Red Robin, we got there around 1:30 and there were maybe 1/3 of the tables occupied.


For the first couple of months we lived here, we couldn't believe it. "No wait? On a Sunday? Ever? Where exactly are we living?" Now we just celebrate the fact that our table is always open, no matter where we go!


It's still kind of freaky, but in a good way. Just strange when Saturday the roads and restaurants are all packed and the next day it's like a ghost town. Consider this one more reason to come visit us: a crowdless Sunday meal.


And don't forget our view!

Doing dishes?

I don't guess any one really likes to do dishes. It's tedious work, but since we all like to eat, there are almost always dishes to be done (unless we eat on paper plates, in which case there are many volunteers to "do the dishes").

However, no one ever said that loading a dishwasher or scrubbing a pot had to be boring. Why not spice it up, turn the whole thing into a musical/dance extravaganza? And if the dishes don't exactly get done...they'll wait.

So, here is a sample of what doing the dishes looks like in the Smith Family.

Note: the girls are not always this happy when working in the kitchen. I caught them at a good time. And I'm almost certain that wearing the gloves make the work seem less work-like. Something about colorful rubber makes the whole thing a lot more fun. Why? Another of the great mysteries of our universe...