​It was a bittersweet morning as we said goodbye to Andrew at the Colorado Springs airport where he was boarding a plane to head to Ft. Worth, TX for his first missionary assignment. He was pretty calm and collected but I could tell that he was nervous about what he was heading into. Since I had already said goodbye last month this goodbye was much easier, even though I knew that it would be the last time I would see him in 2 years. I am so proud of Andrew for his commitment to share the gospel with the people of Texas and eventually the people of Germany. I know serving a mission will bless his life.

​While Andrew was home for a few days between online MTC and leaving for his first missionary assignment, we had the opportunity to go through the Denver LDS temple with him and it was amazing. My parents were able to drive up from Utah so that they could be there for Andrew. We also invited Michelle Watabe and Tex and Anne Johnson. It was so nice to have a small gathering of friends and family for Andrew. The session was awesome and although I am sure Andrew had many questions about the Endowment, we spent some time talking with him the night before, the car ride to the temple and in the celestial room. We were all so blessed that the Denver LDS temple opened back up right before his mission so that we could have this experience with Andrew. I feel so blessed to have a son who is willing to give up 2 years of his life to spread the Hope of Christ to others. I can’t think of a better time to help others find hope in a time where it seems like all hope is lost and men and women’s hearts are failing. I know Elder Wilhelm will be a force for good in the world and will do great things!

As with other times in my life and especially during COVID I have had to relearn and practice being ok with not being able to control every aspect of my life. The one thing I hold onto is the fact that I can control some things. 
I can control my attitude
I can control my behavior
I can control my health and fitness
I can control my ability to be kind to everyone 
I can control my ability to help others
I’m not always good at doing all of these things but at least I’m trying. We have a poster in our home gym of One Punch Man and on it, it says:
 
HUMAN BEINGS ARE STRONG BECAUSE WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE OURSELVES
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This is such a good reminder and one I am happy to see every time I leave my house.
 

With all the new restrictions with COVID I decided it was best to not take Madeline back to ballet. I knew that she still needed a fun activity to participate in so I signed her up for private swim lessons at PPA. Her instructor, Carolyn, is simply the best. She is so good with Madeline. Madeline has improved so quickly. She can lay on her back and float without any problems, kick with straight legs, blow bubbles in the water, put her face sideways in the water, go under the water, and can scale across the wall on the side of the pool. She loves her new purple goggles and she can put them on all by herself. When we get to her lessons, she is like a maniac trying to get her clothes off so fast so that she can go swim. She looks forward to her lessons every week. I'm so excited that we found something that Madeline absolutely loves. I hope she will continue to love swim like her older siblings do. 

​Mike and I ventured up past Woodland Park towards the Lost Creek Wilderness to do a hike we had never done before. We hiked on the Bison Peak Trail which ended being about a 12-mile hike round trip. The Lost Creek Wilderness is one of the most unique wildernesses in Colorado simply because of its terrain. Above tree line on the Bison Peak Trail, there were some of the most bizarre rock formations you will ever see. Much of the Lost Creek Wilderness, which spans 120,000 acres, is dominated by these incredible rock formations, including massive polished granite domes and towering spires. There weren’t a ton of people on the trail and part of that is because this trail is not in a super convenient location to Denver. Also, the trail was incredibly steep just to get to the top plateau areas where you can view the amazing rock formations. Once at the first plateau the trail wasn’t clear, so we just wandered in the correct direction until we found sections that looked like trail. It’s a good thing that Mike had already hiked this trail because he knew generally where we were going. Once the wind started to pick up, we stopped to put on more layers and got a random Facebook call from Andrew. It was awesome to be able to talk with him up on the mountain. Our reception was that great once we started hiking again, so we had to say goodbye and continue onwards. We hiked for another 1-2 miles until we finally reached the summit. At the top, Mike immediately found the Geocache box and found the journal that he had signed several years ago when he hiked this with Peter and the rest of the Boy Scouts. I was just happy I made it to the top because I had been tired all morning and the steepness of the trail really tried me physically and mentally. I can honestly say that the views from the top and the many plateaus of unique rock formations was well worth the hike. Since the weather looked like it could be getting iffy, we didn’t waste any time heading back down the mountain. We hiked so fast going down. One thing is for sure, I always have a great time when I am hiking with Mike. 
 

​More than a runner...that is who I am these days. Running will always be my first love, but it has definitely taken a back seat to my biking this summer. I completed my goal of biking up Pike’s Peak (14,115 ft) with two of my favorite people, Dionne Randolph and Caryn Maconi, and some other awesome people from USA Triathlon. It was the most epic ride I have ever done. The entire ride was 36.81 miles total, with 18.5 miles up and 6295ft of climbing. We essentially broke up the ride into 4 sections. The first 5 miles was tough only because we started climbing without much of a warmup. We stopped at Crystal Creek for some hydration and to fuel up. The second part of the climb was from Crystal Creek to Glen Cove. This was the hardest part of the ride for me because my lower back started to hurt around mile 8. For two miles I was struggling mentally and physically. When I finally made it to Glen Cove, I was so excited to take my pack off, head to the bathroom, and eat more food. I was happy to have made it this far and to be the second one in our group to get to Glen Cove. The third section was the most grueling according to many who have done this ride. It is a series of switchbacks to get to Devils playground. I was actually surprised that this was my favorite part of the entire ride. I must have gotten some energy from the Gu I ate and my other bars. I wasn’t too far behind Vik and when I made it to Devils playground, we stopped for a few minutes to let the rest of the crew catch up. Then it was the last climb to the top. Vik and I rode the last section together and it was then that I saw Mike and Emma. I was so surprised as they didn’t let most vehicles past Devils playground. Mike had told them that he had to pick someone up at the top because they couldn’t make it down, which ended up being true. I made it to the top in around 3:11. I am so grateful to this awesome group who encouraged each other the entire way and to Mike and Emma for coming up to support me. I am incredibly blessed with good friends and family!

​Madeline was so excited to start pre-school this year. We enrolled her in the Sunrise Methodist Church Preschool only 10 minutes from our house. Her first day was exciting but also very cold. It had snowed the day before and so it was freezing outside. Luckily, we still had her long-sleeved dressed hanging in the closet. She picked out her pink striped dress to wear the first day of school and we grabbed her matching pink face mask. Even though face masks were not required for the pre-school kids, we still encouraged her to wear her mask while she was at school. Madeline was a little nervous to say goodbye to me on the first day but she didn’t cry and so I am counting that as a win for both of us. She had fun her first day with Mrs. Walsh and Mrs. Shoop. Since she had just had a birthday, she was the first one to have her special day of being the line leader, bringing in a show and tell item, and bringing in a treat for her birthday. She got to do that on the second day of school. When I asked her what her favorite part of the day was, she said she loved playing outside. I’m not surprised because all of my kids have loved recess over the years. 

​Just when I thought 2020 couldn’t get any more bizarre, it totally snowed in Colorado the beginning of September. The kids were actually excited by it. Madeline was the only one that actually got on her snow clothes. She was so excited to play outside in the snow. She ran up and down the grass several times just trying to catch snow in her mouth. There is nothing better than the excitement from a 4-year-old when it snows outside. 

​All Madeline wanted for her birthday this year was a stuffed animal unicorn and some Frozen Legos. She was so excited by her unicorn cake that I had custom made for her. She got dressed up in her favorite shiny pink twirl dress and let me take a ton of pictures of her outside. We started out the morning with an amazing pancake breakfast with fruit and bacon. Then we let her open up all of her presents. She got her coveted unicorn stuffed animal in addition to the Frozen Lego castle, some Moana Legos, and some Sylvania Family toys. Peter was eager to help her put together her Lego castle. It was so cute watching them work together. Afterwards Abby and Madeline played with her Legos for most of the day. After lunch we sang “Happy Birthday,” and then enjoyed eating the unicorn cake. This was the first birthday where Madeline wasn’t scared to blow out her own candles. After cake and ice-cream, we all headed outside to watch Madeline hit and break open the unicorn piñata. She loved hitting the piñata but it was a little hard for her to break it open, so Peter took some swings at it and completely destroyed it. After all, picking up the candy is the best part of the piñata anyways.