Evan's Half Marathon

Ev is the one in the middle...yes, Big SJ came back to sprint home with him! (Like 13 miles wasn't enough...)
Standing in line to get a "Gone Green" Schwag Bag! This race has the best location! Everywhere you look, there are towering mountains filled with pine trees. Today was beautiful!
Yes. This is THE MAN, THE LEGEND. Mr. PR himself.

So, both Johnson boys beat their last PR. You'll have to read Spencer's blog (or the Johnson Running Blog) to see what his time was, exactly. I wouldn't want to get it wrong! Evan beat his by at least 8 minutes. He continues to reach for goals and then achieve them. His journey from Couch Potato to Marathon Man has been inspirational, from my perspective. Every morning I wake up and don't feel like running, I think about Ev who has gotten up in the dark, run his scheduled miles, dressed for work, hopped on the bus and answered a hundred emails on his Blackberry. Then I pull myself out of my warm bed and lace up my shoes. I have a postcard from the Denver Marathon that asks, "Why do you run?" I have been thinking of MY reasons for running. At first I couldn't come up with anything. Is it for health? Is it for nice legs? But after watching Evan cross the finish line today, right when he said he would...I realized that he was the reason I run. He is the reason I get out of bed those early mornings. It is to be like him...He is my "WHY."
Today was a great day.

Summer Vacation...Adventure #6 Aurora Reservoir

(Oops, Chase's pants were a bit low...sorry about that) Our group of kids engineering something in the sand...

Chase in the murky reservoir water...it was cold, but it felt good on such a hot day!

The group! Janis (in the chair on the left), Kasiah (immersed in her book), Amy (standing) and Becky. We had a great set-up! We could talk and watch the kids play...perfect!
Sebastian, Amelia and Chase...they were making a "hot tub", which then turned into a river.

My silly girls!

So, we DO have a beach in Colorado after all!

Summer Vacation...Adventure #5 SCOUT CAMP!

Chase-a-Roo...still recognizable (because Evan was bribing him! Cash for clean clothes!)
Our Canoeing Machine!
Chase, Travis, Brett, Brian (hiding in the back) and Josh with the snakes...
Evan and his Camp Buddy, Brandon. They, too were still recognizable! How I got this picture is another story in itself...

Yes, Chase survived another year at Scout Camp! It was LDS Encampment week, so our Stake Presidency was up there to speak and then our Bishopric came up and brought treats for the boys. Chase was able to earn his Canoeing Merit Badge and get 95% finished with Emergency Preparedness and Rife. Along with those two he will also earn his First Aid Merit Badge. So, he is going to be halfway to Eagle...phew! Evan went up with the boys from Mon-Wed night, so he will have to add his own comments to this post later. I just wanted to get these great pictures up for all to see!