Happy 4th of July!

Year #2 of the Uncle Sam 5k is now in the books.  I thought I was supposed to pick up the Wells' family from the Vegas airport so I didn't sign up to run but as luck would have it Jillyn went to get them instead.  So I was able to shoot the race.  Which is my preferred way to do a race anyway.

Josh has been training with the Pine View Cross country team this summer and lined up right behind them.  John hates when they sign up to do any race because that means he isn't going to win.  He has a get blog about his races.  To read it click on the link...It's not over until I win.

Here's the rest of the crew along with Gillie and Jared Lott our friends form the Coral Canyon ward.

It's not very often that I get picture's of John.  I usually get him starting but never finishing.

  But the best part of this race is that the course it right close.  They leave the Sunbowl go down around the park and up past the baseball fields and back to the corner of the Sunbowl to turn and go up one block past Grandma and Grandpa Beckstrands house and turn onto Tabernacle.  Then they go down Tab until they get to the round-a-bout then come back the way they left.  It makes it super easy to get great pictures.  So here's the order that they ran.  John.

Josh

                                                             Emma

Then came Joel, David and Alex.  At the after the turn Joel leaves these two but they stick together the entire time which was great for David.  A lot of times he's by himself and I know he loved having Alex with him.  He talked about the entire race all day long.

Then came Ben and Sophie.  Ben said that he was first going to leave her but then when decided to stay and run with her.  He said he kept her going and wouldn't let her walk.  It ended up being great for her because she got a new best time of 28 minutes!  Thanks Ben.

Mary runs all by herself and I missed her.  She's not one to yell out, "Hey aunt Penny!  Take a picture of me!"    Although she most definitely should because she so cute.  Here are Kali and Kristal.

Here's John coming back.  The only people in front of him were...Pine View kids and this guy that he passed 2 seconds later.

I had to take a picture of this cute house because those dots are just paper plates!  How cute is that?

Josh was next and doing great.  After he passed me I headed back over to the Sunbowl because there is a bridge that goes over the entrance that is perfect for taking pictures and I could see them all finish.  

I was finally about to get a photo of John finishing!  He had an incredible time of 18 minutes.  Wow!  And it wasn't his best.

Next was Josh with 22:07

Then cute Emma right after him at 23:48.

Here comes Joel.  His time was 24 but for some strange reason the clock says 22:01.  Time travel.

Then David and Alex.  Alex is always nice and stays with one of my boys.  This time it was David because Ben was being nice and staying with Sophie.

This little cutie patootie is a runner!  She takes off on her own and waits for no one!

Here are Ben and Sophie.  Thanks to Ben not letting her stop Sophie got a new personal record!  

38 minutes!  We are very proud of her!  Josh ran down to help them run the last up hill climb to the finish line.

Jared and Gillie finished right after Sophie and Ben.

Sophie doesn't like this picture because it makes Josh looks so much taller than her.

Here is a picture of George - From Red Rock Canyon School -  taking a picture of everyone.  Haha.  I thought it was funny.

Another fun Beckstrand run.

Right after the race we walked up to Grandma and Grandpa Beckstrands for the p-raid.  Another great tradition.  St. George does a great 4th of July.  We are there from sunrise to sunset.  The 24th of July, however is a Washington holiday.  They do activities over there that our stake is in charge of.  But the 4th is much more fun because it is a play all day and see a free concert and fireworks at night.

After the parade we were all pretty hungry so we took the kids over to Golden Corral for a breakfast buffet.  They loved it!  Ben had 2 plates of bacon.  Everyone put on their Uncle Sam Fun Run shirts so no one would get lost.  Then we went home and just relaxed.  Later that night all of our friends went to other places for B-B-Q's so we ordered pizza.  This is Sophie's sad B-B-Q face.  I was fine with it.

Then...my favorite part...we caught back up with everyone in the Sunbowl for the KONY Concert and Fireworks Show!  It was awesome!  All the little cousins get to run around like chickens with their heads cut off and I could care less.  It is always great music and great company.  A good couple hours to just sit and relax and just enjoy everything around me and be grateful for all the freedoms I have and for this wonderful country I have to live in with the people I love.