29 June 2009

weekend tell all

the big annual ms bike ride took place on saturday. it was a wonderful quick roadtrip, a reunion of sorts. saturday was laid back with lots of pedaling, swimming, strolling, naps in the shade, cousins frolicking and celebrations at the finish line. the guys made us proud, am sad i didn't get a photo of all the riders. still, i took plenty of pictures...

heading out. idaho has the most gorgeous skies i've ever met. never before have i noticed clouds the way i do now that i live here, in a mountainless region where the sky goes on forever. on our way to utah, thick grey clouds rolled in and we encountered a hail storm like none other. hail pebbles pounded the windshield. sheets of rain sopping the streets. we survived it and so did the bike, thank goodness.


all strapped in. am feeling lucky my boy loves his car seat, am crossing my fingers my li'l adventurer will always love to travel. benji slept through the whole eventful thunderstorm and woke up when we arrived, just in time to pal around with seven of his cousins.


brothers + cousins. these babies are exactly one year + one day apart. james has no idea how much he will be idolized in a few years. (and those big beautiful brown eyes? yeah, they are a family trait.)


anne. she is the coolest. she is my go-to for chit chat, cartwheel contests, hollywood gossip, babysitting and vicariously living high school years all over again. of course she is much more cool, smart, athletic, dependable and darling than i ever was. still, i like to think we are about the same age. i have no qualms about bringing up david archuleta or zac efron in her presence. (when she's around, i always think of the book annie bananie. if you haven't memorized this from reading it over and over again, you really really really ought to.)


the line up. dan's dad was about to roll in, causing much excited commotion. we all lined up ready to congratulate the oldest (and arguably the toughest) member of the team.


live strong. lookin' sleek and sporty is half the battle. way to go!


my favorite. a classic shot of my happy boy. i can't get enough of him, he's at such a fun stage. (after biking 100 miles, the guys slipped their flipflops on, relaxed in camping chairs, drank cold mountain dews, while easily having enough energy left to play with the kids. now that is what i call charming.)


love love love. the children frolicking in the shade + sunshine was about my favorite thing of the whole day. lounging and wrestling and running about tirelessly.


true to form. and of course, my mother-in-law remembered to pack a picnic, a skill she has perfected. (somehow she managed to keep it cool and lovely til the ride was all over, notice the mint garnish. fresh from her backyard. she is effortlessly thoughtful and fabulous. she amazes me.)


essence of summer. all this bundled up happy energy? provided by the free all you can eat rainbow sno-cones. porter is the sweetest almost seven year old i've ever met.


not pictured. one of my weekend highlights was meeting deidra. she boosted my ego about a billion notches when she recognized me from reading my blog and said hello! she was fantastically sweet and friendly. i'd like to think all my fans are so awesome. i was on cloud nine, feeling like a big fancy wee bit of a celebrity. we just happened to be strolling around the same farmer's market saturday morning. i was standing in line for a glass of the best fresh-squeezed lemonade on the planet. (if you live in cache valley i highly recommend the hip mama's lemonade stand; saturdays at the park.) sweet sour sugary lemon love goodness all shaken and stirred and freshly squozen. you can't beat that.

a thousand thank yous for your donations to the ms society, especially in this time where money is tight for so many. we will continue to fundraise throughout the summer months. a link to donate to a good cause will hold it's spot on my blog sidebar until autumn. we very much appreciate your support. xo.

11 comments:

kati said...

personal goal #347: to be like YOUR mother-in-law :)

Hil said...

So fun! I love that picture of cute Benji. He is such a happy boy! Way to go Dan for riding 100 miles on a bike... I haven't ever ridden anything for 100 miles, except for maybe in a car.

Deidra said...

It was a treat to meet you. Thanks for the kind words. You are a gracious celebrity! :) I'm still kicking myself that I didn't think that the husband had the camera until it was too late.

Unknown said...

marta, hi. i'm whitney and i love your blog! i was volunteering at the checkin-in for the bike ms on friday night when i saw you and your family, including your darling little benji! my husband thought it was pretty weird that i knew who you were and what you were doing there, especially since i've never met you (that is, until my cousin, Deidra, called to tell me she had seen you!) but i just want you to know that i do enjoy your stories, writing and creativity, as well as your sincere goodness. i'm pleased to know there are good people still around!

brooke said...

It was so fun to see the whole Dansie family in this post. I didn't realize Shanna had MS. I hope she is doing well. ALl of the kids are so cute and I love the pic of Benji on the grass--so darling. Congrats to all who did the race. Hi to Tom if you read this!

ellen said...

What a fun weekend! I LOVE Annie Bananie. I met the author years ago in NYC and she autographed the book for me. It's an all-time favorite.

ALFIE said...

lovin' benj in these pics. his little face is pure joy!
thank you for participating in the ride. my best friends husband suffers from MS. and i see first-hand the struggles and fears this disease brings to a family.
i am so glad you're keeping donations open. i definately want to support your efforts!

Dansie Family said...

it sure was a fun weekend. thanks for hanging out. the kids just love their cousins and aunts and uncles.

Unknown said...

quelle fantastique!

it looks like you guys had such a great trip + weekend, for a fabulous cause.

way to go, dan!

Tori said...

i think it's awesome you helped with the ms ride...my brother in law does it every year...also pretty cool you ate at fredrico's? ha ha i grew up in cache valley and it's fun to see a blogging celeb have pictures in my little ol hometown!

Jen Holtkamp said...

hi marta! i'm sad i didn't see you at the ride this year! we had to take off pretty soon after we finished. love the pictures you took!

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