summer diversions of vball and storybook

The Tuesday after we got back from Red Lodge, June 5th, I played my first game of sand volleyball of the summer. I don't think I've ever posted about volleyball... 

I love volleyball. It is my favorite sport and the only one I played in high school (only as a freshman because Central was super competitive and I wasn't good enough). When I went to Chapter Camp with Intervarsity after my freshmen year at SDSU, I played some sand volleyball there and was approached by the Intervarsity leader at Mines, Rick, to play with him in Rapid for the summer. Matt also played. We did that for maybe three or four summers until we moved to Nebraska in 2007. When we returned in 2012, I played in the fall with Rick and Matt's team for the fall indoor season one or maybe two seasons, and then it kind of dropped for a couple years. Matt got sick and then got a new kidney and was better, so I suppose that's why we played again last year...or they just had better people than me to play for them. Ha! No worries. I'm glad to be playing again. I love it.

Jeff, Mary (who doesn't usually play), Laura, and Matt.

Michaela was hanging out on the sand afterward. 

After that first night, I was all amped up and felt like I wanted more. Terry and I went for a run together. We've never done that before because he's crazy fast and I'm slow. I kept up okay for about a half mile, and than mercifully it started to rain and we had to take shelter and therefore a rest. 

We ran up the hill, took another selfie with the rainbow and then ran on. At about two miles he left me and I got progressively slower and slower for the last mile until I actually had to stop because my side hurt so bad. I never do that. That's what I get for going fast. I also never go fast. 😂

We've had a pretty wet June, and two weeks later we ended up playing in the pouring rain. We were soaked to the bone like we had been in a pool and lost all three games. We're in lower B so it's more competitive for us (verses playing Upper B last year and getting beat every single night) and we've been doing well there, but the team we played was probably the best in this league. Anyway, that was also our 14th anniversary on June 19th.  I can tell because I was wearing mascara for the occasion, a rare thing for me since it irritates my eyes now.

The following week June 26th Evie wanted to come along and she took a couple pictures of me, like this one of Matt's flung wide arm and me looking up. Did he just hit it?

I used to be able to serve very well overhand when I was 15 but I have lost the skill. I always serve underhand now but at least I rarely miss. 

Another thing we did when we returned from vacation was go to Storybook Island. 

We didn't go this last Christmas so it had been an entire year since we'd been there. 

I've got the kids trained well. They want their pictures taken with everything.

Gotta keep taking this one of them all on the slide. 

"Okay you can let go!"

Evie had her little Ariel barbie connected to a long rubber band line she had made. She would toss her down in front of the tunnel and she'd bounce back up again. It made a pretty funny Boomerang video.

"Mom take our picture!"

The helicopter is new this year!

This was a new Raggedy Ann and Andy. 

Noah's ark. 

I splurged and let the littles go on the train, just the two of them. It took a longer course than usual because they've got part of the park blocked off so I felt they got their money's worth.

They always climb up there...

...and up there. 

This was new though. She cracks me up.

Evie's one desire for the day was to go to the little kids section so she could pose with her Ariel barbie along with the awkward Ariel statue. Evie was imitating her dreamy look.

One final picture that we always have to remake every year of them lined up in front of the whale. Only two can fit inside without bending anymore! 😭