Just look at that precious boy! I love that Timmy!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Tyson
It's September 12th in Turkey! I know that today is Britt's Birthday (Happy Birthday) and 9/11, but I happened to turn on my phone at 3pm Denver time which is 12am September 12, 2013 in Turkey! Remembering my brother's especially Tyson today!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
National Champion!
Coming in off of the bike Connor was 1 minute down to his biggest challenge and was sitting in 2nd place.
He left transition like a man on a mission!
This is Connor coming down the chute WAY sooner than I expected! I knew right away that he was the National Champion, but I suddenly started thinking that he could be one of the top overall triathletes.
Sure enough! He was 3rd OVERALL! This is an accomplishment above and beyond what I ever would have expected. He had the fastest run overall as well! He got a few prizes worth a couple hundred dollars as well.
Here he is as the National Champion for 19 and under! Pretty awesome!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Turkey Days 7-8
Sunday in Turkey was amazing for the primary reason that it was when we got to experience our church literally in its infancy in this amazing country. The muslim religion completely dominates Turkey. Not only that, but because we are such a trusting people ready to see the Church grow, we are ready and willing to hand over responsibility and trust to people that are barely learning the ropes of the Gospel. Such is the case in Izmir and Turkey in general.
In Izmir the Church WAS actually growing. Unfortunately, there was a man with the name of Hussein (what is it with that name????) who worked with the Church and even for the Church to translate and help with the temporal needs of the Church in Izmir. He became very trusted and he made a lot of money (not a good combo). Long story short, he took advantage of his situation and when he was caught and ex-communicated from the Church he did what all people that have had power and money do best, he started bad-mouthing the Church and everyone associated with it! He even threatened the lives of other members to keep them from going. So that's what Mom and Dad come in to. UGLY!
Well, cutting to the day, it was great coming over to see the apartment transformed into a very small church. Mom had Church music playing and there were chairs set up for those that would be attending (we had our fingers crossed that ANYONE would be there). It looked great. Connor prepared the sacrament on a small table. We had guests about 30 min before church was to start. They were actually new people that Mom and Dad had never met either. They had come from France (she was French and her husband is a Turk and her nephew spoke French as well). Dad conducted as Branch President and I quickly realized that he is typically the ONLY priesthood holder at church every Sunday. He does a great job! And Mom, well she does everything of course besides conduct and do the sacrament.
Connor blessed the sacrament and Preston then passed it. I was very proud. We had Ethan (he is currently living in Turkey, but had lived in California and spoke English) as well as Yigit and Suatt (the twin investigators) who came about 30 minutes late. It was fast and testimony meeting and it was awesome. It was so interesting to speak in English and then have it translated into Turkish and French all at the same time! The Spirit was very strong and it was really amazing to see my youngest (Adin and Mia) be so touched by it.
After church, we had one of Mom's great meals and great dessert's with EVERYONE that had attended. We then spent HOURS talking and trying to understand each other, but it was a great experience for everyone. It was also very tiring and frustrating trying to understand each other. After a couple of hours there I finally coaxed everyone but Dad to get out of the apartment for a walk to see Izmir for our final night. We walked a long way on the pier and ate at a very nice restaurant as the sun set on our Turkish adventure. It was sad that Dad wasn't there, but now we know that he truly was hurting and that walk would have been impossible for him.
The next day started a VERY long journey home. We had to get up at 4am, say good-bye to Mom and Dad, catch a taxi, check all of our luggage in at the Izmir airport, fly to Istanbul, walk a million miles to check in our luggage in Istanbul only to find out that we were there too early to do so, ate at a Burger King, checked in our luggage, waited for our flight, boarded the plane (it wasn't even close to as nice as the one that we flew in), flew a VERY long flight from Istanbul to New York, went through customs, went to another terminal a million miles away, caught our flight from New York to Denver in which we couldn't recline our seats, and then finally arrived in Denver dead to the world. The entire trip took 26 hours from the time we woke up that morning in Izmir until we actually stepped through our door.
Was the trip worth it? You bet it was! We all learned so much and we had an experience that we never would have experienced had Mom and Dad not been there. I am very proud of Mom and Dad. They are doing great work there in a difficult situation. They are homesick, but they continue to serve despite being WELL out of their comfort zone and with a broken foot to top it off! We skyped with them today and each of the kids admitted that it was a great vacation that will go down in our Grizz-Weaver memories!
In Izmir the Church WAS actually growing. Unfortunately, there was a man with the name of Hussein (what is it with that name????) who worked with the Church and even for the Church to translate and help with the temporal needs of the Church in Izmir. He became very trusted and he made a lot of money (not a good combo). Long story short, he took advantage of his situation and when he was caught and ex-communicated from the Church he did what all people that have had power and money do best, he started bad-mouthing the Church and everyone associated with it! He even threatened the lives of other members to keep them from going. So that's what Mom and Dad come in to. UGLY!
Well, cutting to the day, it was great coming over to see the apartment transformed into a very small church. Mom had Church music playing and there were chairs set up for those that would be attending (we had our fingers crossed that ANYONE would be there). It looked great. Connor prepared the sacrament on a small table. We had guests about 30 min before church was to start. They were actually new people that Mom and Dad had never met either. They had come from France (she was French and her husband is a Turk and her nephew spoke French as well). Dad conducted as Branch President and I quickly realized that he is typically the ONLY priesthood holder at church every Sunday. He does a great job! And Mom, well she does everything of course besides conduct and do the sacrament.
Connor blessed the sacrament and Preston then passed it. I was very proud. We had Ethan (he is currently living in Turkey, but had lived in California and spoke English) as well as Yigit and Suatt (the twin investigators) who came about 30 minutes late. It was fast and testimony meeting and it was awesome. It was so interesting to speak in English and then have it translated into Turkish and French all at the same time! The Spirit was very strong and it was really amazing to see my youngest (Adin and Mia) be so touched by it.
After church, we had one of Mom's great meals and great dessert's with EVERYONE that had attended. We then spent HOURS talking and trying to understand each other, but it was a great experience for everyone. It was also very tiring and frustrating trying to understand each other. After a couple of hours there I finally coaxed everyone but Dad to get out of the apartment for a walk to see Izmir for our final night. We walked a long way on the pier and ate at a very nice restaurant as the sun set on our Turkish adventure. It was sad that Dad wasn't there, but now we know that he truly was hurting and that walk would have been impossible for him.
While they couldn't actually understand each other, they did speak the same language of computer games (international language).
The twins and us!
One of the famous Izmir landmarks.
No beach, but ocean water.
Dad is missing from our sunset dinner.
Was the trip worth it? You bet it was! We all learned so much and we had an experience that we never would have experienced had Mom and Dad not been there. I am very proud of Mom and Dad. They are doing great work there in a difficult situation. They are homesick, but they continue to serve despite being WELL out of their comfort zone and with a broken foot to top it off! We skyped with them today and each of the kids admitted that it was a great vacation that will go down in our Grizz-Weaver memories!
And the sun had set on our Turkish adventure...
Friday, July 19, 2013
Turkey Day 6
Day 6 was our ONLY non-scheduled day. Mom and Dad were so worried that we would be "bored" during our trip that they did MY kind of vacation with EVERY hour planned except this day! (By the way, they did an AWESOME job!)
We woke up when we wanted to and then we headed to the pool at our hotel for some relaxation poolside in the Turkish heat. Dad wasn't enjoying just hanging out at the pool so he headed back to his place while we swam with the kids. Connor went on a 16 mile run (yes in the heat with NO water).
After a few hours of roasting in the sun, I decided to call Dad and see what the plan would be for the rest of the day. Little did I know, he was fast asleep enjoying some semi-alone time (Connor was actually there recovering from his steamy run). My phone call woke him and he jumped up way too quick. He then experienced what is referred to as Orthostatic Hypotension. There was even LESS blood running to his brain than usual and Connor said, "He hit the ground like a rock!" We didn't know it then because he's tougher than your average bear, but he had broken his foot at that time (I take full responsibility).
We went over to their place and then did an Izmir tour (sans Mom who was shopping for dinner). Izmir is a great city. We really enjoyed our time checking it all out. It wasn't until we had already walked about 2 miles that I realized Dad was limping. When I asked what happened he just said, "Oh, it's nothing I probably just pulled something when I PASSED OUT!" Yes, that's my Dad!
We woke up when we wanted to and then we headed to the pool at our hotel for some relaxation poolside in the Turkish heat. Dad wasn't enjoying just hanging out at the pool so he headed back to his place while we swam with the kids. Connor went on a 16 mile run (yes in the heat with NO water).
Me and my 2 youngest doing what they love best!
After a few hours of roasting in the sun, I decided to call Dad and see what the plan would be for the rest of the day. Little did I know, he was fast asleep enjoying some semi-alone time (Connor was actually there recovering from his steamy run). My phone call woke him and he jumped up way too quick. He then experienced what is referred to as Orthostatic Hypotension. There was even LESS blood running to his brain than usual and Connor said, "He hit the ground like a rock!" We didn't know it then because he's tougher than your average bear, but he had broken his foot at that time (I take full responsibility).
We went over to their place and then did an Izmir tour (sans Mom who was shopping for dinner). Izmir is a great city. We really enjoyed our time checking it all out. It wasn't until we had already walked about 2 miles that I realized Dad was limping. When I asked what happened he just said, "Oh, it's nothing I probably just pulled something when I PASSED OUT!" Yes, that's my Dad!
The famous Izmir clock tower. You'll notice all of the pigeons. Adin and Mia chased them ALL over right after this picture!
My two most favorite girls EVER!
After walking (and limping) all over the boardwalk surrounding the bay in Izmir we caught a bus and headed to the absolute pinnacle of Izmir to see a centuries-old castle overlooking the entire city.
This is a picture that I took while standing on a wheel well above everyone looking at Alyson between Connor's arm. The reason I took this was to remember how we honestly had EVERYONE in this bus engaged in a conversation with Dad explaining that he was "Byuk BABA" (Big Daddy). The ENTIRE bus was FULLY engaged in the conversation and laughing like crazy. It was awesome! Dad was incredible and they absolutely loved him!
So, I put this picture in just so you could see the steps that Dad was climbing with a BROKEN FOOT!! This was inside the castle climbing to the top turret.
Looking out over Izmir from the castle.
From up here we had a great view of Ataturk's own Mt. Rushmore.
One of the highlights of this day was seeing these ladies cooking the bread (seen sitting on top of the oven on the left). They literally had a fire burning in this oven and were cooking bread. They gave us each some (it was INCREDIBLE) and refused to take any money at all for it. Pretty cool!
All-in-all, it was another great day in Turkey that was finished off with a meal with Ethan (Turk that had lived in California) and one of Mom's awesome meals!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Turkey Day 5
This was the "kid" day. We got up early so that we could catch a big bus (with TV's in the seats and everything). But, when we got to the big bus station in Izmir we found out that we had actually missed the bus that we were supposed to have been on. So, we had to wait for then next bus. We found some seats at a little cafe and had some drinks and watched all the cats roaming around.
We did get on the next bus and it was a very nice one at that. We then made our trek to a resort town called Kusadasi. It sits right on the Aegean Sea and is definitely an attraction for many Europeans. The mixture of languages here was amazing. There were Turks, Irish, Germans, Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch. It was amazing hearing all of the different languages mixed together. The only thing that I didn't see were other Americans. Crazy.
We were lucky enough to have the bus driver drop us off at the bottom of the hill leading to the Adaland Water Park. They claim it to be the "best water park in the world." I was attracted to it for the opportunity for Connor, Preston, and Adin to swim with the dolphins. After we got through the typical chaos of entering ANY water park we signed up for the dolphins and headed straight there. I wanted Mia to do it as well, but she did not and so she didn't! The boys LOVED it! By the way, the dolphin trainers were from America and from the Dominican Repulic.
Even in Turkey, the Coca Cola "light" kept us going (Preston loved this).
We did get on the next bus and it was a very nice one at that. We then made our trek to a resort town called Kusadasi. It sits right on the Aegean Sea and is definitely an attraction for many Europeans. The mixture of languages here was amazing. There were Turks, Irish, Germans, Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch. It was amazing hearing all of the different languages mixed together. The only thing that I didn't see were other Americans. Crazy.
We were lucky enough to have the bus driver drop us off at the bottom of the hill leading to the Adaland Water Park. They claim it to be the "best water park in the world." I was attracted to it for the opportunity for Connor, Preston, and Adin to swim with the dolphins. After we got through the typical chaos of entering ANY water park we signed up for the dolphins and headed straight there. I wanted Mia to do it as well, but she did not and so she didn't! The boys LOVED it! By the way, the dolphin trainers were from America and from the Dominican Repulic.
Connor dancing with a dolphin
Adin and his dolphin dancing.
Mia watching...
Preston!
Connor!
Adin absolutely loved this!
The funnest ride at the park was racing Dad, Connor and Preston on this slide at the end of the day!
Here we are at the end of a fun-filled Turkish vacation day!
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