71 and going strong

Can you believe my dad is 71? Many of you know that he had a 6 (not sure what they call that many...quadruple +2?) bypass heart surgery last fall. For those of you that know my Dad, you know that this is a guy who is in pretty good shape so it was definitely a big shock for all of us when we were told that he was going to be having open heart surgery. I hated the idea of my Dad laying on an operating table with his chest cracked open while they stopped his heart so they could fix it (crazy what they can do these days). Well...as you can see, he's made a full recovery.

Last weekend the hospital where he had the surgery had a 5k run for past cardiac patients. There was over 300 participants and my 71 year old dad took 1st place in his age division! He has been doing these 5k's for years and ever since I can remember he would always say..."if I could just make it to the next age division and keep my pace I know I would get some of those awards!" Needless to say, they always seemed to elude him...but not this time (and yes, there was more than 2 people in his age division :)). Way to go Dad!!! Must be those new pipes :)

Here he is with his cardiac surgeon...

Ever since I was about 12 years old and had to run the mile in middle school my Dad was always there giving me advice, the latest research on how to get faster and at every race cheering me on. Running is special to both of us and I'm glad he can still do it. He is definitely an inspiration to all of us. What's next? The Dipsea, a half marathon? Guess we'll have to wait and see. GO DAD!!!!

A little boy time...and a little "ME" time

A couple weeks ago (yes, I'm totally behind as usual) Mark decided to take the boys camping. He set a goal this year of taking his boys camping at least once a quarter and so far so good! Last time he took just Dylan and Luke but this time I said "Maybe you could take tryg too?" thinking that he was going to look at me like I was crazy...but he said "I can do that". WoooHooo!!! Score!! One night of complete peace and quiet for me. I could even go out (with myself of course which is how I like it sometimes) for as long as I wanted! Granted, I usually fall asleep these days on the couch by 10pm but that's not the point. I was FREE!!! I was a little excited to say the least :).

Here are some pics from their overnight adventure....

Apparently Tryg liked the smores but not how they stuck to his fingers... Three snug as a bug little boys in a tent. Tryg was loving his new Buzz Light Year sleeping bag (thanks Grandma Olson!). This was Tryg's first time in a sleeping bag and he did pretty well. He thought they were pretty cool and had fun trying to find his brothes in them.Nothing like a little chocolate donuts and milk in the morning. Luke looks a little cold :) What is it about boys and sticks? Luke loves to find them and then take them home and sleep with them. Dylan just hanging out in a tree Not sure it gets much cuter than that! So what did I do? Well...I got a pedicure and manicure, went shopping, and then came home..watched a chick flick and spread out in my bed all night! Nobody woke me up in the middle of the night or the next morning. It was heaven! Allthough I must say that I eventually did miss the little screams and chaos that usually fill our home but it was nice to have a little "me" time. I love that Mark has made this a priority for his boys. It's stuff they will remember forever! THANKS MARK!!!