VEGA Challenge

The girls had another gymnastics competition on January 19, 2020.  It was in Battle Ground, WA, and my parents were here to cheer them on.  Also, in attendance were my nieces, Leyton & Ellis, who had  covertly flown in from California to surprise our girls on McKinley's birthday! Both girls made some improvements in a couple of events and also recognized the need to fine tune some other elements in their routines.  Overall, they were very thrilled with their performances with Piper earning 2nd place for her All-Around score in the Junior B division and McKinley placing 5th for her All-Around score in the Senior A division.  However, they didn't actually find out they had placed until a few days later when VEGA released the news that some errors had been made while compiling scores.  So what a delight it was for their team to be congratulated on their home turf, with their coaches presenting them their awards and the news that their Level 3 Team placed 2nd for team scores!  Go Metro!

Piper's floor routine.

Coach Tasha encourages McKinley before her floor routine.

McKinley won a fun, hand-stand challenge for all Level 3 competitors.

Gramma C. congratulates the girls with roses.

Photo booth fun!

So proud of these gymnasts!!!

Leavenworth, WA

We finally made it to Leavenworth!  After deciding that we would remain home over the holidays, we booked our reservations for the week before Christmas.  Leavenworth is a quaint, little, Bavarian town nestled among towering mountain peaks.  Although, it wasn't always the German-themed, tourist destination it is today!  In the 1960's the town leaders had a bright idea to revive its economy by changing the town's appearance to draw visitors.   But this was no mere facelift!  They completely renovated the downtown area and created a series of festivals for each season.
We rented a condo less than a mile from downtown, and our first meal after arriving was a hearty course of German fare: sausages, sauerkraut, spaetzle, pretzels and beer.  We were fortunate to get dumped with snow the following morning, so we did some sledding in the town square.  The Christmas lights were breathtaking!  It truly was magical to see the town all it up for the holidays.  The storefronts were equally beautiful, and we enjoyed popping in and out of all the local shops.  Our Leavenworth vacation was such a restful time for our family!  We are already making plans to return in the fall for the Salmon Festival!

Bubba's first snow!

The girls and I did some ice skating!

Bye-bye Leavenworth - see you soon!

Reach for the Goal 2020

McKinley and Piper competed in the their very first gymnastics (level 3 compulsory) meet yesterday, and we couldn't be more prouder!! The meet was held at The Athletic Edge in Salem, OR, and as soon as you walk into the main floor you were greeted with "God gives you the talent---you give the effort" plastered on the wall.  Those wise and inspiring words were so timely as the girls were battling first-time jitters.  Piper even commented that during her bar routine, she thought to herself, "I'm not doing this for my parents or my teammates--I'm doing this for God."  Both McKinley and Piper exceeded everyone's expectations with their accomplishments while still remaining humble, as McKinley said during the car ride home, "Time to get back to work at tomorrow's practice."  Piper placed in all four events and got second for her all-around score.  McKinley also placed in all four events and got fifth for her all-around score.  Within Level 3 there were three different competitive categories which were based on age, so Piper and McKinley weren't competing against each other.

Go Metro!

McKinley's handstand on the beam was beautiful!

Chalking up before bar warm-ups.

McKinley's score card

New Year, New Goals

To our Grandparents, extended family and friends still following this little blog: With the ringing in of a new year, 2020, I vow to not go another year without posting life updates and pictures.  So, stay tuned for some of our highlights from 2019!!

Halloween 2019

Cleopatra                                                        Elsa

Princess Lea                                                   Farmer Jed