#2 Finish a Triathlon

About the middle of April Shad decided he was going to sign up for a sprint triathlon with his friend James. James had completed a few triathlons, but this was Shad's first. They signed up for the triathlon in Muncie, Indiana on June 11th and we added it to the summer bucket list. He had a little less than two months to train for it. He said it was one of the hardest things he has ever done. He really mainly struggled with the swim portion of the race. He isn't a great swimmer and we don't have regular access to a pool, so it made it kind of difficult for him to practice. He really only went to the pool a handful of times for training.

When it came down to the race he struggled with the swim, as anticipated, and came in pretty much last. He had to hold onto the kayak they had available a few times just to catch his breath, but he did finish and didn't get disqualified. He must have made up the time in the run and the bike because he actually ended up with a really great time and got 3rd place in his age category and 48th overall. His friend James got 2nd place and friend Reza got 8th place in their age category too. I think they felt ok about that. One of Shad's YSA members (Jason) did the Olympic triathlon and also did very well.

We didn't end up going to see him finish like we had originally planned because we had a baptism of a friend to go to that afternoon and I knew it would be difficult for us to get back in time for the baptism. Shad just barely made it back in time even without kids.

I'm so proud of him. I'm glad that he is setting such a great example for our kids to follow of making fitness goals and achieving them.

Brothers

I worried about the 3 1/2 year (to the day) gap between my boys when Jack was born. I wondered if they would ever play together or be interested in the same things. I wondered if Haken would walk all over his little brother and ignore him. I worried that Jack would feel left out and get bored.

Turns out I shouldn't have worried. These boys are best buds. They may have an age gap but that doesn't mean they don't get along and love each other to death. Haken appreciates Jack's silliness and cracks up daily at the funny things he does and Jack worships Haken and tries to be just like him. It really is a great combination. I very rarely have to put out fires because then generally get along, and if they don't they can usually work it out on their own. Haken is fantastic at making others happy and compromising while at the same time getting what he wants. I really couldn't ask for two better boys! I think they will only get closer as they get older and the age gap is all relative.

With the cold mornings this winter this is how the boys like to warm up... We have a heating vent that comes out of the floor in the kitchen by the back door. They like to get a blanket and snuggle up together in their jammies to get warm before we eat breakfast. It also became a popular place to eat lunch. It was Haken's idea, and of course Jack does whatever Haken does. 

These pictures snuggled on the vent were taken a month apart even though it looks like they were on the same day. Those must be Haken's favorite jammies. The blanket is the one that Grandma Glenda made for Shad, it is their favorite because it is so big and they can both fit in it.

I'm going to throw this picture in because the title of this post is "Brothers." Shad has 5 brothers (and no sisters) and he is very close with all of them. That is one of the things that I really admire about his family is how tightly knit they are. I only hope my kids can be the same when they grow up. Two of Shad's brothers (Ricky and Ryan) came up from Arizona at the end of January to go to a family reunion luncheon that was held in Provo. It was a quick trip up and back but we still managed to have lots of fun with them. 

I took this picture because they are all sitting on their own Ipad's playing "Tiger Woods Golf." I guess this is how they play golf when it is 20 degrees with a foot of snow outside. They always find a way to work it in when they are together. No weather can hold them back. 

Shad's latest indeavour

Over Conference weekend Shad painted a new painting he is pretty excited about. He also started a new blog to document the project he is working on. Here is the painting he worked on this weekend:

Here is a link to his new blog that tells the story behind it: http://shadanderson.wordpress.com

Shad's first major exhibit!

Last Thursday we received an E-mail confirming that Shad's painting got into the international art exhibit at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City! For those of you who may not know what the Church History Museum is, it is a large museum that has works of art as well as historical artifacts that document the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is across the street from temple square in the center of Salt Lake City and people come from all over to visit this museum. 

Every 3 years they accept entries from all over the world into a competition to be selected to be in their exhibit. The theme for this year's exhibit is "Make known His wonderful works." They look for pieces that are different and that display the theme chosen for the year. Shad has entered in past year's competitions and not been accepted, but this year they asked to have an "in person" look at his painting and they accepted it into the exhibit. They had over 1000 entries from all over the world and only select a few to put into the exhibit.

It will be displayed at the museum from March 16th to October 14th. His painting may also be seen in future publications of the Liahona, Ensign magazines, and the Church News. So, keep your eyes out for his name and go and visit the museum to see it in person! This is such a HUGE accomplishment and I am so proud of him!

"It was good" by Shad Anderson

One room at a time...

We have lived in our house for 5 years already. I really can't believe it has been that long. When we moved in our house was a blank canvas with white walls and mocha trim. Since then we have gone room-by-room, as the budget allows, doing what we can to make it "ours."

Last May we decided it was time to finish our laundry/bathroom downstairs. It got kind of old having to run up 2 flights of stairs to get to the bathroom all the time. Especially with our guest room being downstairs. I always felt so bad for those that stayed with us.

It was supposed to be a super easy project (as all projects are) and cost around $1500. Instead it lasted 2 months and cost around $2300. We finished it hours before all of Shad's family came to visit during the 4th of July weekend. I'm surprised the paint was even dry!

This was definitely a learning experience for both of us. I learned that you have to be prepared to compromise, most anything can be found on youtube, and that you need to be really good at keeping your mouth shut while your husband works. Construction is hard on any marriage but especially when you do the work yourself. I have to admit, I seriously doubted Shad's abilities going into this, but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. It's not perfect, but it is pretty close and he learned SO much during the whole process. He did the entire thing himself with the help of some expert advice from a few family members and friends (including all of the many borrowed tools). My husband is now an electrician, a plumber, a tiler, a painter, a framer, a sheet rocker, and a mudder/taper, just to name a few. This really was a great project for him to learn how to do so many things.

It was a difficult room to arrange since we had to work around the laundry. I insisted on having the washer and dryer in a closet because they are so ugly and I wanted it to feel more like a bathroom than a laundry room since I only use them once a week. It is tight (meaning the washer and dryer BARELY fit out the doors) but it works. It was also tight because Shad insisted on having a walk-in shower. However, the fact that he showers in it every morning made the fight over it legit. I think he has a love affair with that shower after all the work he put into it.

So without further adieu... the pictures that I have been promising for months...

Your first view of the bathroom from the door. You can't tell in the pictures but Shad textured ALL of the walls and did a dang good job! It also hid a lot of the learning mistakes along the way :)

The hallway to the shower/toilet/sink

The hallway from the other direction (the door in this picture leads to our crawl space.)

Laundry doors shut

Laundry doors open (still need a rod for my hanging laundry)

The entrance to Shad's shower (that's right, no door! It wraps around)

The huge shower head that Shad loves so much.

The slate tile floor in the shower. Shad fought very hard for this. It was an added expense, but I'm very glad we did it because it really adds a lot to the bathroom.

The vanity. We scored big on the solid surface countertop. It was a remnant that worked perfectly with our space. We had to have it offset for the plumbing. It only cost us $65 from a granite place here in town. We also found a light fixture to match the existing ones in our house. Turns out it was discontinued and we got the last one.

The toilet "nook."

Linen nook complete with interesting magazines for your reading pleasure.

These are the posters that I have hanging on the walls. I had to post them because they are one of my favorite parts of the bathroom. They are actual ads ripped out of a 1952 "Ladies Home Journal." I got them as a wedding present and saved them just for this purpose. I love them! You can't see all of the funny things they say, you will just have to take my word that they are hilarious! I can't believe people used to think this way about women! I'm still looking for more vintage knick-nacks to match.

So that is the bathroom in a nutshell. I hope you got a feel for what it would feel like to really walk through it. We still have the guest room to finish. I think we will have to wait a few years to recover from finishing the bathroom first.

Since moving in we have also worked hard on decorating other rooms, but not anything like we did in the bathroom. Painting is a much easier process than construction. I am adding pictures of the boys rooms that we have done in the last two years, requested by my sis-in-law Aubrey. 

Shad's Christmas Break Project

I think I would be ungrateful if I didn't share with everyone what my husband did for me during his Christmas break from school. I have been wanting a toy storage/bench in the back of my family room since we moved into this house over four years ago. Our family room is kind of an awkward long skinny room and the space hasn't been utilized in the best way. We have been using the back of the room as a toy room for Haken. However, in the past year it has started to get a little out of control with all of the toys that he has been acquiring. With all of the money I have been making doing curtains for people I decided that I wanted to makeover our family room. I mentioned the bench to Shad last week and I have to say that he got more into it than I thought he would. He drew precise plans on graph paper, researched the best wood, and took two whole days building me a bench that was truly professionally made ("Amish quality" as he says). It fits perfect in our little corner and has more than enough space for all of Haken's many toys. I am so glad that space is actually being utilized now. I can sit on the bench instead of the floor while I play with Haken (this really would have been helpful while I was pregnant, but at least it is done now.) I still need to cover the foam cushions and make a few pillows to add some color, but it will still be used until then. I thought about leaving it as a "built in" if we ever move, but after all of the work that he put into it, it will definitely be coming with us to our next home. Now we need to add beadboard to the walls, curtains in the windows, and pillows on the couches to make the room complete. I will have to post pictures again when the entire room is complete. I'm glad that I have a husband who is not only an artist, but is an up-and-coming carpenter as well.


Bench with the lovely green foam cushions. Don't worry, they will be covered soon.


The toy chest with a lid in the corner with tons of storage for all the sports toys Haken has.




Haken enjoyed the "male bonding" as well