The Keene Family

Three days after we got back from Utah, we drove to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for Haley's competition called Great West Gym Fest. We were blessed to stay with my cousin, Cora, and her two kids with my aunt and uncle right next door. We enjoyed Tubbs Hill Park and a two-mile walk on Saturday morning. We had lunch at a German brewhouse in town that Cora suggested. It's like Belgium will never end - more beer and frites. Jim and I decided to give up on February and start fresh again in March! In the afternoon, we enjoyed some quiet time relaxing at home before the big day. On Sunday, Haley competed in the morning. We were at the resort on time and ready to go! Our CDA family came to watch Haley compete, and JT led the "how to watch gymnastics" lessons for Magnus and Heidi. The awards ceremony was unbelievingly long. Instead of calling maybe four or five places out for all around for each division (7 ...

Jim and I had already planned our annual ski weekend in Utah months before we knew about the Belgium trip, so two and a half days after we got home... we left again. We flew to Salt Lake City Thursday night. On Valentine's Day, we woke up and drove to Deer Valley. And got this picture taken by a fellow skier. Framer!  We stopped for lunch at one of the many lodges and enjoyed the famous turkey chili. And dessert. And beer and frites, because Belgium kept creeping back up on us, and we were sitting in the sunshine in Utah.    We did this fun thing for the first time: ran a slalom course! You could pay $3 a turn and try it out, and they timed you and made an announcement and everything. We did it twice each and it was super fun! The view from the gondola isn't too shabby. We had an amazing day of skiing - we set a goal to ski every lift above beginner and we did! On Saturday, my work colleague Jenn (who we stay with) took us cross c...

Sometimes I get requests from educators around the world to come speak at their events. Usually, the budget is too small or the timing doesn't work out. But occasionally it does, and this February I got a chance to speak at an event in Belgium. I invited Jim along, and he accepted! We stayed mostly in Brugge (translated Bruges) but also spent time in Blankenberge and Gent. To sum up: gorgeous centuries-old architecture, interesting history, chocolate, waffles, and beer. There are way too many photos to post in a blog, so I made a Sway ( view here in a new window  or embedded below).