Monsoon Season in AZ

Ah....the monsoon season has started in AZ.  Nothing like going for a walk with Baby Kakes and getting caught in the rain.  It is a nice break from the heat but.....no longer is it a dry heat!  For AZ we have a lot of humidity.

We spent a week up in Utah (PJ, Amy, Elli, Patrick and Kate - Mary was in Iowa at her Aunts).  Amy and I were working and Patrick was attending the School of Rock Rock Band Boot Camp in Sandy.  He had a blast.  He sang four songs (Ice Cream Man, Burning Down the House, Were Not Going to Take It and You got Another Thing Coming).  He did a great job!  The whole Firth Family was there to watch and that was very nice.

We went boating with our friends (and customers) Steve Wilkinson, his fiance' Lisa, and Dustin and Falesha Cooper.  We went to East Canyon Reservoir.  Nothing like Air Chairing at 6,500 feet!  It was a great night.  Patrick even tried to Air Chair (he had a great 360 wipe out!).  Dustin and I also did a bike ride up to  East Canyon Lake.  Great Ride.  Nice Climbing.

We did some great family stuff at the Firth's, including attending their Ward Ice Cream Social.  Kathryn's Home Made Ice Cream was the hit of the social!  We also went to see Ralph and Kathryn at the Conference Center and got a tour.  Man, that green roof is so cool.  We walked around the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  That was very cool.  Lots of history there.

When we drove home, we were sans Elli.  She is still up in UT having a lot of fun.  She may stay until we go back for our nephew's wedding on the 10th.  I think she goes to her second water park tomorrow. She has also gone to Lagoon (bum!  I want to go to Lagoon).

When we got back from UT, we got the news that a young man we had been working with decided to get baptized.  So on Saturday, Michael Logan Davis got baptized.

We also had Kate's 1 year check up. She has a new nickname  - Big Baby.  She looks like the baby in Toy Story Three!  She is huge - 97 percentile in height and 84 percentile in weight.  She is just a hoot.  She went for a big ride tonight.  She is even starting to dig wearing her helmet I got her.  It has a big pink Mohawk on it!

My Buddy BoBo had surgery today to repair a broken collar bone.  I hope it heals fast, he is doing the WI Ironman with our friend Ken Sherman this fall.  On a sad note, two of my friends (Karen & Joe and John and Monica) both lost a parent last week.  That is tough.

Both Amy and I are keeping our weight off - though both of us would like to take off more.  I am helped by riding every morning with my friend Joe at 5:30 in the morning.  It is nice to be riding, specially when it is not alone.  Joe and I solve all the world's problems on those rides.  I really enjoy them.  Joe and Karen are on vacation this week with Joe's family in Tahoe and boy it is hard to ride without him being there to push me.

Hope all is well.

PJ