"The Boys": September 2009

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Stupid Bodies

This is an MRI of my neck. Aren't I good lookin'? For the past few months I have been in some serious pain, and didn't really know why. It's like I've had a stiff neck that just doesn't want to go away. About a month ago the pain got worse than ever and I started noticing some numbness and tingling in my left arm. That was when Lori demanded that I go see a doctor. I explained my symptoms to the doctor and he said he was pretty confident I had some kind of bulging or herniated disk in my neck or upper back. Apparently he was right. If you follow that nice white line going down the middle of my neck (I think it's my spine or spinal cord or something) there is a nice little chunk taken out. Yep, that's where I have my new best friend: a herniated disk between the C6-C7 vertebra. Next step: drop my MRI off at Dr. Hood's office. He's a neurosurgeon. Yeah, I'm a little nervous.

Other stupid body story: One of my best buddies from the mission, Justin Barton, called me yesterday and let me know that his beautiful wife had just been diagnosed with Lupus. Her name is Alli and I think right now she can use all the prayers she can get. They are really scared and pretty emotionally stirred right now. Please keep them in your thoughts and remember them in your prayers.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Head Shots

We have been encouraged to add a picture to the online phonebook on the intranet at work. I'm having a hard time deciding which one to send in. Any input is appreciated. This is a big deal.

THIS IS MY (LORI) FAVORITE!!!

LOTOJA 2009

This weekend was kind of a big deal for some of the members of my family. My two brothers and my Dad have been training for the big race from Logan to Jackson Hole, LOTOJA. It's a 206 mile race of tons of steep uphill. I was tired just driving the whole thing! Steve and Mark have done it before (along with a bunch of other races), but this was the first year for my Dad. My brother Mark, the one in pink, asked me a few months ago if I would be willing to crew for him during the race. I was excited to have the chance to go and help out.

I got to decorate my car with a bunch of super-official stickers

This is Marco, Steve's wife. Steve is in the blue and white, by the way. Marco and I were together pretty much the whole day. We were in charge of putting together musette bags for Mark and Steve. For those of you not familiar with the term "musette" it's just a bag filled with food and drinks that the cyclists grab as they ride by designated feed zones.

We always stood by number 8 at the feed zones so that Mark and Steve would know where to find us.

This is Rachel, Mark's wife, and his baby, Kate. They were able to cheer Mark on while I worried about getting him his musette.

If you look closely in this picture you can see Marco handing off the musette to Steve. Do you kind of get how it works now? I had no idea about any of this stuff before Saturday morning. They don't stop the whole time... just grab and go.

Here's Mark (in the pink and black) after I handed him his musette. It was hard to get any pictures of his front side since I was handing him his goods. The hand off is actually pretty intense. I saw one guy who made his cyclist crash way hard because of a bad hand-off. The cyclist did a complete front flip right in front of me and landed on his shoulder. It was pretty graphic, and loud! No joke, it sounded like a car accident. He lost control for a second and plowed into a cone. He did not finish the race due to a seriously jacked up shoulder.

Here is Steve crossing the finish line. He came in Second Place in his category!! We were all really proud of him.

Mark's kids cheering him on at the finish. I didn't get a picture of him crossing the line. Oops!

Here he is after his finish. Not even tired :)

Doesn't my Dad look like a stud? Hard to believe how fit he has become in the last couple of years. There weren't a lot of guys in their sixties there.