Amy and I spent the weekend at Callaway gardens.  We planned to enter a triathlon on Sat, although Amy recovering from a back injury opted out of this one.   I finished my second international distance triathlon this year (1500 meter swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run)  in 2:27 (5 mins slower than my 2:22 PR last month) .  The morning was crisp and cool, although the water temp was warm (81 degrees).  Since the temp was above 78 degrees, wet suits were not allowed (ugg….).  Wet suits add tremendously to buoyancy and help your overall speed, which is why most people hope for cooler water for that added support.  Adding to the swim challenge was a very choppy lake with plenty of unintentional swags of lake water (yuck).  The bike was relatively fat and fast with some occasional rolling hills…I averaged about 21.5 mph over the 25 mile course (you cannot draft in triathlons, so it is a solo effort).  The 10K run was an out and back with beautiful scenery of the lake…the temperature started to rise, so the return portion was hot.  Overall…. happy with the day and very glad to spend time with Amy for the weekend….here are some pics that Amy took of the event.

Kyle and Natalie participated in a youth track club this past Spring.  The youth club was sponsored by the high school and introduced kids to various parts of running from the 100 meter distance up through the mile.  The kids were also able to compete in the long jump and participate in some relay races.  Both Kyle and Natalie developed some good friends and enjoyed the Saturday track meets.  We really liked Natalie’s two coaches and the fun way they introduced her to running…..Natalie is hooked and really wants to continue with the club in the fall (for youth cross country).  We actually might have another runner in the Kelsch family!  Watch out!

Here are some pictures from the season.

Last night was Natalie’s  first violin recital.  She began taking Suzuki Violin last year and amazes us with her talent and confidence.  It has been fun to see her progress throughout the year.  We have been very impressed with the school and her teacher.  She is currently learning the Twinkle songs with the fingering.  Natalie was inspired by the more advanced students which provided some additional motivation.  Here are a few pictures from the event, including one with her teacher.

For Spring break, we spent our family vacation at the Outerbanks (OBX).  For those on the West coast, OBX is off the coast of North Carolina and a popular destination for beach lovers in the East.  We had a fabulous time sharing a house right off the Corolla beach with the Moyers (our long time friends from BYU), who are back in the U.S. in between overseas assignments.  Our kids loved spending time at the beach (albeit a bit cold at times) and playing with their friends.  In addition to the Beach, we visited the Wright Brothers National Museum in Kitty Hawk and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla, NC.   The wind was perfect for kite flying, so Kyle was able to get his first unaided experience with flying kites…he is hooked!  Here are a few pics from our trip

Today was the annual elementary school fun run for Kyle and Natalie.  The event started with some warm-up exercises in the gym (can you say stretch, lean, stretch) followed by various  distances depending on grade level.  For Kyle and Natalie (first grade), they ran 4 laps around the elementary school track.  Both did extremely well and finish in good form…..Kyle placed fourth for first grade boys and Natalie placed third for first grade girls.  Here are a few pictures from the event.

We had some great weather this weekend….just one of the many things we love about living in Georgia.  We took full advantage of the warm weather and spent most of Saturday and Sunday outdoors.  One of the kids favorite places to play is Roswell Park.  They can spend hours running around the fields and playing on the playground.  We had not been there since they constructed a new enormous playground.  Upon arriving at the new playground, Natalie shouted, “Sweet Momma…now that is a playground”.  Yes, we live in the South!

We were fortunate this year to have our family come to Georgia and visit for Christmas and New Years.  Weather in December can be unpredictable, but we were blessed to have some good days to enjoy activities outside.  Christmas with the kids was great.  Both Kyle and Natalie enjoyed the morning and seeing what “Santa” brought.  Kyle is still trying to figure out how the elves got the ping pong table into the basement!?!  I have included a few choice pictures from Christmas morning as well as a few from our outdoor excursion to Amicola Falls State Park.

Exercise is a integral part of our daily lives. John usually works out early in the morning before work. Amy typically starts her day at the gym right after the kids board the school bus. Saturday mornings are also filled with either long runs, bike rides, or both.

2008 was a great year for reaching our goals in exercise. Both Amy and I participated in varying lengths of triathlon events. Kyle and Natalie also participated in several team sports and their first kid tot runs. As the weather cools, days shorten, and the food filled holidays approach, we look back on milestones and anticipate new challenges in 2009.

While John had previously completed some triathlons, 2008 allowed me to extend my triathlon distance from Sprint to both an International and a Half Iron Distance. Amy reached her year goal of participating in her first Sprint triathlon in 2008. She did great! Both Kyle and Natalie completed their first mile race at school. Natalie finished in 9:40 (the fastest girl in the first grade).

During 2009, we both plan a series of multisport events. I plan to enter a few international distance tri’s in the he spring/summer, leading up to a longer 70.3 (Half Ironman) event in the Fall. Amy is hoping to tackle another sprint and perhaps even a International Distance race.

Here is a collection of sport pics from 2008….

This weekend we traversed to the North Georgia mountains with friends in search of good Fall foliage and scenery. Both the weather and colors were unbelievable. We hiked up to the top of Amicola Falls and back down to the base. The kids enjoyed hiking up as well as the 425 stairs needed to make the final ascent. Here are a few pics from our excursion.

On Halloween, our kids played Indiana Jones meets an Angel. We thought they picked costumes that fit their personalities spot on. Kyle is ever so curious and always finds things here and there to pick up from the ground (even to our dismay). Natalie is usually our little Angel (well, at least most of the time).

Our neighborhood hosts a pizza party and get together before the kids canvas the neighborhood in search of big bags of candy. Here is a snapshot from Halloween night.