Alex Pingree and Autism

Many of you know the Pingree family and know that their son, Alex, is autistic. This link is to their blog. Read the short intro and then watch the video. It is well worth it.

http://thepingrees.blogspot.com/

The Thai National Anthem

I was reading an article by the sports columnist Rick Riley today. He was making fun of some of the various national anthems that we will be hearing in the upcoming Olympics. It made me think of my mission to Thailand. Everyday in Thailand at 8AM and 6PM, the Thai National Anthem is played. All TV and radio stations pause to play it as well as all public address systems. The whole country comes to a stand still to listen to the anthem. The video is taken from one of the Thai channels and its broadcast of the anthem.

Marathon Woman

Jill is awesome! She ran the Deseret News Marathon yesterday. She finished in 4 hours and 17 minutes. She did such a great job. She described the last 6 miles as, "like running on needles." The last couple of miles sounded like torture. The temperature was rising, the asphalt was getting hot enough that she could feel it through her shoes and she had already run 20+ miles. She said that the only thing that kept her going was the motivation of the next water station. I probably would have started crying and quit at about mile 10. Not Jill though, she ran the whole thing. She had some mild cramping in her calves and her feet were sore from running on them for 26.2 miles but beyond that she felt pretty good at the end. After a hot shower and then soaking her feet in Millcreek for a while, she felt good. Her body is plenty sore but it doesn't seem to bother her too much. She is very satisfied with having finished and I couldn't be prouder.

She has worked extremely hard over the last 3+ months as she has trained for this event. She has been getting up early (regardless of how much rest she got the night before) and training. She has been eating right, stretching, doing sit-ups and other things to get her body ready . She is grateful that her body held up through the whole thing. She had been fighting a bout with plantar fascitias. But thanks to some great tips and a funny little boot thing that she wore to bed her foot didn't give her any trouble.

I am so impressed with her dedication. One of the best things I can say about my incredible wife is when she commits to something she goes all the way. There is no quit in her when she decides to do something. I believe that quality is what makes her such a fantastic wife and mother. Way to go Jill!

Fredrick Family Lagoon Day

It was a hot one but the kids had a blast on the rides. Savannah wanted to ride others that she wasn't tall enough for so she'll have to wait for next year. Our favorite ride was Rattlesnake Rapids because it cooled us off.

Joseph and Olivia were especially partial to the Tidal Wave.

Tiny Dancers

Just wanted to share some really cute pics of the kids. Savannah looks so awesome!