The Beaver Freezer Triathlon

April 3ed, 2010 started at 6 a.m.

Lynda, Kasey, and I just going into the event.

Lynda and I trained together for 3 months.

Kasey is in our ward and is a good friend. 

 Lost his legs during a run in with a semi at age 6 but has the most amazing attitude...

Kacey won!!! He beat us by about an hour....

I started with a 5oo meter swim.

Then a 12 mile bike ride ending up with a 5K run/walk.....

Here I have one lap to go on my 5 k run...I was so excited to come around the corner and Rich and Nicole were standing there with the cutest little signs they had made....

It was the best feeling ever to cross the finish line. I was exhausted beyond belief but ran the whole last few yards to run over the finish line...

The whole way I was crying and saying.

"I did it, I did it, I did it." It was such a high....

As I crossed the line I could see
Rich and Nicole were off to the side.

Rich ran up and grabbed me. He was crying and kept saying that he was so proud of me.

Later I thought about that moment and thought it must be what it's like when we pass through this life and the others waiting on the other side after a the long and sometimes difficult race called life.They will be so proud of us as well...and we will fall into their embrace....I have never ever felt such love from any one in my life as I did in the moment with Rich...

Rich and Nicole (my number one fans).

Poor Nicole had worked all night and still came with her Dad to cheer on her Mom.  It was amazing....

In love on Valentines Day....

Sun rise, Sun set....swiftly flow the years.....

It seems like only a couple of years ago, this was Jeffy lying in my arms....

And I thought I knew what the love of a child was...

Holding his sleeping son in my arms only endears my heart all the more to Jeff.

Thanks Son for always showing me what unconditional love is all about.

There is nothing better in this life than family....Each one of my children have picked amazing wives and husbands which means I think all my grandchildren are blessed with the best parents in the world!! Jeff, Sarah, and Sean...thanks for making Valentines Day a day I loved!!

Jeff and 'Cola being the good buddies they always have been. And Jeff is not one bit ashamed of whatever it is Nicole puts on her feet...

How much do I love my beautiful daughter-in-law? How can I measure a thing like that when I am so aware of the incredible love and devotion she has for my grandchild. I love you Sarah!
And someday you'll understand just how that is possible...when Sean marries the most perfect little girl for him.
Grandparents...one of the best play toys a child can have.
Nicole says, "babies are sticky"....meaning she is not too thrilled with any of them. And yet her nephew, whom she loves, can suck on her finger and she is more than fine. Sean, you are lucky to have an Aunt Nicole in your life....

The Girls of Primary

Here is my new Primary class. At the end of last year the Presidency asked if I would like to stay with the little ones I had. They were the 5 year olds. Or if I would like more of a challange. I said I would enjoy a challange....So....I got a class that has been one.
Jessie, Elizabeth, Anna, Gracie, and Brooke....They are 9 years old....a bit of a handful....
BUT....I ADORE THEM and I am in Heaven!!

The new Snuggy (plus one)

For Christmas Rich got me a Snuggy...sort of. It was a knock off. It was plaid, opened in the front, and had snaps. And the one size fits all? Did not fit me. So he took it back and got the real McCoy. The next thing I knew, every time I wanted to use it while sitting in the family room... he had it on! It, being one of the biggest jokes, has become one of the must have items of the new decade (evident by the battle we were having over it). He decided he too needed one. So off to Walmart he went. Next thing I know he is walking all over the house with it on. Like it's a sweater or something...(he is very proud of it and has no idea how silly he looks)I asked for a pose...the following 2 pictures are what I got...

I pointed out that it makes him look fat...so he may want to be selective in where he is seen in it.

The scariest thing??? He now believes he has Jedi-Powers when he wears it.

LET IT SNOW..for a little bit

One thing I love about the Willamette Valley, is all the weather men on the local news get so excited when they think it's gonna snow..."think" is the operative word. They start showing news reports about all the sanding trucks, tires being chained up on Tri Met, and what to do if there are school closures. And then...no snow. More often than not it happens like it did yesterday. All of a sudden it just starts really snowing...No warning...nothing...just snow...We got about 3 inches...and Portland and surrounding areas??...It came at rush hour, they had about 5 inches and it was an absolute mess. No one was prepared. Why....Cause the weather guys on the news...had no idea it was coming.

When we had the new windows put in, I said it would be cool to stand in the kitchen and watch if it ever snowed. It was. At one point Rich, Nicole, and I were just leaning on the counter, watching it...Wish I had a picture of that!! I love when it snows, for one reason you can't tell we desperatly need a new roof!! Next year. This year was about having a new kitchen..with new windows....so I could see snow coming down...

'Cola and Grandpa

So.....I got a nice new little camera for Christmas....but it was the last thing I opened...and it took awhile to charge the battery. This is my one and only picture of Christman morning, 2009

Nicole and her 95 year old Grandpa Frederick.....How cute are they!!

Christmas Miracle

I was having a tough time realizing that only Nicole would be home for Christmas. I was grateful for that, but sad knowing it would be only the 3 of us and Rich's 95 year old Dad. Christmas has always been special to me. I love to decorate and to do presents and to bake....I love the festivities both secular and of course religious. But most importantly I love the idea of family coming together. One of the biggest heartbreaks I have had to deal with, at this point in my life, is to have none of our children, grandchildren, or even much family close by.

The closer it got to Christmas this year the more sad I became. The thought of going to Church the Sunday before Christmas was going to be hard. I would have to go alone as Rich goes out to the Prison on Sundays. In my prayers one night I asked Heavnly Father to please help me not to feel so alone and help me to relaize the importance of being at church the week before Christmas. It occurred to me the best gift I could give the Savior was to be at church and to show my gratitude for the blessings all my children and grandchildren receive constantly in their lives. I mustered up and went. It was difficult sitting by myself and seeing so many of my friends of the past 25 years with much of their families sitting with them. But the Sacrament meeting was beautiful as was the Choir. Off to Primary I went, confident I would be OK...however as almost all the children went up to be part of a Nativity, one of my long time friends (who is also a Primary teacher) had her adult son to play the guitar for the little ones to sing Silent night....The tears started....I thought of my grandchildren and then the profound feeling of loss for several things in my life.....almost in that same moment I felt a tap on my shoulder...The little gal behind me quietly asked."Do you and Rich have family coming home for Christmas..." Through my tears I told her "no." She quickly replied that this was the first time they would have no family close by either. She proceeded to share with me they had made it matter of prayer as to who they could invite to share dinner with..."someone who who would need their family as much as they would need a family." Both her and Kacey agreed that if the "Fredericks" had no family coming we would be the ones!! I couldn't believe it...Janica and Kacey are one of the neatest little couple in our ward. I had taught their son Ryan in Primary last year and loved him. Rich and I have always adored Kacey and Janica. They are funny, spiritual, and always so willing to serve.

We had one of the best Christmas's ever....They gave us the gift of children and grandchildren...and we were the gift of parents and grandparents! This little Christmas miracle help to remind me; that as children of our Father-in-Heaven He does understand our heart aches, as well...He hears and answers our prayers. The dinner!! Janica for only being 28, is an amazing cook. It was all so yummy and so entertaining with little kids!
The "grandchildren", Braxtin, Akalia, and Ryan
Janica and "Mom."
"Dad" and Janica

Janica and Kacey...the best part of this picture is..Kacey is bent way over and Janica is on her tippy toes....He is 6ft 4inch and she is 5ft 1 inch...Too cute....She shared that for the first time the other day, Kacey relalized she always stood on her tippy toes to kiss him....To which Kacey qucicly replied..."maybe she should kiss him more often and he would know these things." cute..cute...cute