We're very proud of you, Tara!

On Friday, June 17, Tara graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. She has a Bachelor's in Kinesiology, and a Diploma in Nursing. She worked hard on this degree - before and during her pregnanacy and finished the clinical component this winter while Dylan played at a friend's home. Lots of hard work and we are so proud of her!

Celebrate!

Derek came home for a long weekend to celebrate his 37th birthday - we had his favourite Dairy Queen ice cream cake - yummm!

Triathalon Day!

On Saturday June 11, The Jagt and McEvoy familes met at Pittock Lake Conservation Area just north of Woodstock to watch ( and cheer) Tara and her brother Paul as they participated in a triathalon. They will swim 500 meters in a lake where the water temperature is 20C, bicycle 20km and then run 4km. They will do this is in about 70 minutes! In the afternoon are the children's races. They will swim and run varying distances depending on their ages. The groups begin at age three and go up to age sixteen. The weather is overcast and cool but the rain held off so it made for a good day.

After registering, the triatheletes get their numbers written on their arms, and pinned on their jerseys. They park their bikes and leave their biking shoes in their numbered slot in the transition area.

The triathalon begins with a 500 meter swim.

Paul will start before Tara (he has a red cap) because he is in a different age group.

...... out of the water .....

......and out of the wet suit in the transition area so she can hop onto her bike.

Tara completes her 20km bike ride

Into the transition area to leave her bike, Tara begins the last leg - the 4km run.

Paul is starting the 4km run - Tara is not far behind. Tara actually completed the couse one minte faster than her brother!

Lunch time - sandwiches from Tim Hortons'. The Tri-atheletes got fruit, burgers and drinks after the race but they are ready to eat again with the rest of the family!

Dylan has his own camping chair!

Paul shows Sean how to transition from the swim to the run. Sean's towel is laid as a mat to rub his feet dry, his socks are rolled and left in his shoes for easy pull on. He is to grab his number when he drops his swim goggles "Now let's practice this again"

The 9 year olds - Sean's group - line up for a group photo. They must swim 150 meters, following the orange markers and are timed by chips they wear in a velcro ankle bracelet when they exit the water and run across the mat. Then they must run 500 meters to the finish line.

Sora's group - the 6 and 7 year olds - are getting instructions on how and where they are to swim

Sean had a great sprint near the end of his run.

After their race, Sean and Sora show off their medals

In few years, Connor and Dylan can be competitors, too.

A trip down Nostalgia Road

After the RV rally, we drove to Jenison just west of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our friends, Dan and Barb Bloem have a condo there as well as in Mesa, Arizona where we enjoy their company over the winter. On the Memorial Day holiday, their children Sally - and her husband Rob and daughters Bristine and Braeleigh - and Amy and husband Scott and sons Jake and Max - came for a BBQ to close out the day. The next morning, after a lovely breakfast, we hit the Nostalgia Road. Dan took us back to where we had all gone to college and we also looked up some of the places we had lived when we were younger. The trees are taller (or not there any longer) and the houses are smaller than we remembered, but it was a wonderful day of telling stories and remembering some good years in our lives.

Our day of touring begins at the Franklin Campus of Calvin College. Dan, Barb and Jack took classes here, hung around the Commons and made lots of lifelong friends. Mary spent the first year of nursing school taking classes. here. The campus is now the home of the the Grand Rapids Public School Board.