All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

What do you want for Christmas this year?

Tofurkey vs. Hog Maw

What happens when a vegetarian hostess invites central PA locals over for Thanksgiving dinner? My family is left wondering...where's the turkey?

Hil's Tofurkey vs. Hog "Wash" AKA: Pigs stomach

Thanksgiving started off beautifully with a nice run and Derek's annual Turkey Bowl. It also ended beautifully with a fabulous pumpkin roll, pumpkin pie and a competitive game of Nerts. But what happened in the middle was a vegetarian's nightmare!! First my tofurkey was terrible!! I guess that is what happens when you try to recreate a bird out of bean curd. Second, I had to endure torture as I was taught the process of making an Amish classic, Hog Maw. See for yourselves:

This was my reaction when the Hog Maw was first unveiled.

We love you White Family. We hope to see you and your pig stomach again next year!! As for myself, I suppose Thanksgiving will continue to be a day of side dishes.

Hawks Soccer 2008

Damon just finished up soccer season. Here are some highlights of the last game. We weeded out all the footage of Damon picking grass and chasing butterflies.

Fall is Fabulous!!

Summer is the best, but I have to say Fall in Pennsylvania is Fabulous! Our street is lined with 50 year old oak and maple trees, the colors are incredible. We always make a gigantic pile of leaves in the front yard which the kids love to bury themselves in. All the farms around our town have tractor hayrides, pick your own apples, hay piles and beautiful rolling hills full of corn and sunflower fields!

It was wonderful to have Papa and DeDe here to enjoy it with!


()()()()()()

After losing my seeds to the birds, young plants to the bunnies and mature plants to the squirrels, one beautiful sunflower endured!! I love sunflowers! I had hoped for a wall of them but this one flower holds so much beauty standing all alone.

Halloween

Halloween was full of festivities. We attended several Halloween parties and had a successful night of Trick or Treating. Kenyon was the Emporer, and I have to say it frightens me how well he can impersonate him. Damon was Obi Wan, thankfully we have one boy not on the dark side. Selah was a beautiful princess, and like my neighbor Ed said, she didn't even need to dress up.



I think all the festivities caught up to Selah, I stuffed this poor child into her costume kicking and screaming for a group picture...unfortunately the picture didn't hide our struggle!

So we had to get dressed up for our neighbors party, we thought it would be clever to wear our diving suits (which we have never worn before) and go as DOW and NASDAQ. Well when Derek got his suit on he came running up the stairs and struck a super pose and said, "I feel like a super hero". We couldn't stop laughing! So the diving stock market theme went out the window and we went as The "B" team...whatever that is.

Damon and Selah bobbing for cookies.




Kenyon as The Emporer




Selah and her best friend Jacie...all glimmer and glitz!

Kenyon's Birthday Party

The theme of Kenyon's seventh birthday party was "Jedi Training Academy"
It got a little out of hand.
I guess that's what happens when you put pool noodle light sabers in the hands of fourteen little boys.

Capital City Adventure Challenge

This was a fabulous summer!! A big squeeze to Derek for supporting me in my passion...Adventure Racing and Off Road Triathlons! I started off the season with the MAD Race (Moraine Adventure Dash) at Moraine State Park. In August I raced in the NORTH (Nemacolin Off Road Triathlon and Hammerfest). Then I ended the season with "the Big One", the Capital City Adventure Challenge. This race is done in teams of three. We Ran, Swam, Canoed & Mountain biked all the while completing special challenges (heaving ourselves over logs suspended 8ft high, running buckets of water from the Susquehanna to higher ground, sawing logs, swimming in freezing water with all our gear on, rope laddering, and several balancing acts!) We rocked Harrisburg coming in third place in the All-Female Division. Way to go Herbert's Hotties!!





I think we often miss opportunities to thank the people that inspire and teach us along the way. I was thinking of all the people who inspired, taught and assisted me along this path.

Derek- Thank you for being my running coach, you enabled me to push pass my mental limits.
Kami Banks - For believing that I could actually run farther than 5 miles...you are a true inspiration, showing me that it is possible to do tri's while being a mom of three!!
Chad Thorton- For introducing me and Derek to Off Road Triathlons.
Kathy (my boss at the Glendale YMCA)- For saying. "I see you becoming a triathlete someday", those words gave me a vision.
Kelly Mayes- For doing my first race with me (Splash and Dash at Tempe Town lake), I'll never forget running into that Habu (dust storm), and mounting that hairy man in the water!!
That Hairy Man- For being slower than me so I didn't come in last place!!!
Erika Groves- For teaching me how to swim. Your words still ring in my ears every time I swim, "Grab the water damn it!!"
Felix- For being my personal bike tuner.
Ligia De Los Santos and Jen White- For watching my kids so I could race.
Kenyon, Damon and Selah- For being my biggest little fans.
My Parents for being my biggest long distance fans.
Tracy Ritter, Katie Willsey, Tara Jensen, and Stacy Potter- For training and racing with me this season...you are awesome!!

Boys Club

The "Winner Boys" were established May 2008 and consist of 9 boys ages 4-6. They meet every month for activities, snacks and boy time. We kicked off the club by watching the Little Rascals. Throughout the summer they enjoyed lots of water play, marshmallow guns, relays, homemade ice cream and a lemonade stand. Lemonade was only five cents, however a cup of marshmallows sold for a steep one dollar! The boys raised almost $5, we are thinking of using it to purchase some rocket launchers for our summer kick off 2009!

Avon, North Carolina

Outer Banks, North Carolina

We love the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Last year we vacationed in Corolla, this year we went South to Avon. Both places are outstanding. We shared a beach house with the Z-Naefs. Hans and Carrie have become some of our closest friends here in Harrisburg. They have two boys, Perry and Adler, who are conveniently the same ages as Kenyon and Damon. There probably aren't too many families that we could live with for an entire week and still be laughing our heads off the last day.

Hans, Carrie, Perry & Adler

Going surfing!



The Surf Shack, AKA: "Ty's Low Dive"




Bushy Bushy Bon Hair Do's



Hansi & Damon Kite Flying
***

The following pictures are going to require an explanation for most of you, for our high school friends it will be a trip down memory lane.

Blat
Pronunciation \'blat\
Function: Verb
1. To strategically place a hostess pie in the road with the intent of being smashed by a motorized vehicle, the blatter must then hide behind a bush and chant "blat blat" until the pie has been flattened. Once the pie has been successfully hit the blatter must then eat the pie off the road with their hands behind their back.

We could not find any hostess pies in Avon, so we had to make an alteration and use banana moon pies....nasty!!!










Is blatting illegal? The following picture is taken from behind
the bushes at our surf shack.
If you look carefully you can see our moon pies!

After a successful blatting session!!

What a trip Z-Naefs!!! You guys rock!!!