There was a bit of a unique start to the 4th of July this year. The exercise gang all met at Medical Lake for a swim. We are still trying to think of a name for this group. Awesome Triathletes only Different, Awesome Athletes Only Different, or just Only Different. Any suggests will help! I was more excited to swim than I look here!
Wetsuits! The water was still cold at least by my thermostat. The wetsuits are always a challenge to squeeze into. Freida on the other hand has a thermostat that is out of whack! No wet suit for her. We call her Wonder Woman.
Gotcha Sheila!
Inch by inch we pull on the wetsuits.
Looks like we finally squeezed into the suits. I am sure you are thinking that the wetsuits aren't worth the hassle but let me tell you they are. They help with warmth and buoyancy. The more help I can get the better.
Here we are ready to go. Which one is Freida the Wonder Woman?
Now this is a process few understand. There is no rush getting into the water to swim. We visit take a few steps, visit and take a few steps. Then we start talking about how cold the water is when it seeps into our wetsuits. I think the whole process is documented nicely in the pictures below.
Jay is showing off his muscles!
We have actually done some swimming here. You can see the little heads bobbing out of the water.
Mike decided to take a swim. He kept telling us we were wrong on the distance we were swimming so we suggested :-) he get in and swim. He did. Turns out we were off on the distance but now we are squared away.
That's me bobbing up and down with the white cap. Must be resting a bit. Oh, that is part of the process I forgot to write about, resting!
Done for Sheila!
Me trying to be done too!
Mike swam a couple of our imaginary laps.
Trisha and Jay are getting hooked on the triathlon thing too. Fabulous picture of the happy couple!
The boys!
The boys plus 1!
Fun morning! Nice way to start off the 4th of July with our friends at the lake. Part two of the 4th will be coming soon. Thanks Jesus for our great friends that are such a blessing in our lives!
Come on Mike get that thing warmed up. Michel was excited and very cute in all that motorcycle clothing. She even had Harley boots. What a natural.
Of course everything around here has to be documented so a picture before they take off!
Here they go! Wooohooooo Michel and Mike!
Click here to see the Wild Hogs depart!
Lucy was her usual spunky self!
Kobe really just wanted to hang around me with all the activity going on!
Layne thought Kobe might like the barn kitties they have. He was indifferent. The cats didn't care much about him either. 
Roy is getting big! Very well behaved dog!
Lucy watching all the action!
So is Grandpa Mike.
Justin in his BBQ mode! Yummy burgers and hot dogs. Perfect for the 4th!
Kristin showed Lucy how to use the spout to get punch out of the pitcher. Lucy tested the spout a lot!
Kobe warmed up to Layne! Snuggle snuggle! Just Layne's size!
Here are more pictures of the BBQ and the family. Enjoy.
Everyone brought their dogs. They all wanted up on the deck but that is against the deck rules. NO Dogs allowed.
Justin made the chairs the boys are sitting on. He is very talented!
Another 4th of July had come and gone. We had a wonderful and relaxing day. So nice that we can share these times with family. Just wish the other family members were closer. I think you all should move to Spokane family!
Wetsuits! The water was still cold at least by my thermostat. The wetsuits are always a challenge to squeeze into. Freida on the other hand has a thermostat that is out of whack! No wet suit for her. We call her Wonder Woman.
Gotcha Sheila!
Inch by inch we pull on the wetsuits. 
Looks like we finally squeezed into the suits. I am sure you are thinking that the wetsuits aren't worth the hassle but let me tell you they are. They help with warmth and buoyancy. The more help I can get the better.
Here we are ready to go. Which one is Freida the Wonder Woman?
Now this is a process few understand. There is no rush getting into the water to swim. We visit take a few steps, visit and take a few steps. Then we start talking about how cold the water is when it seeps into our wetsuits. I think the whole process is documented nicely in the pictures below.
Jay is showing off his muscles!
We have actually done some swimming here. You can see the little heads bobbing out of the water.
Mike decided to take a swim. He kept telling us we were wrong on the distance we were swimming so we suggested :-) he get in and swim. He did. Turns out we were off on the distance but now we are squared away. 
That's me bobbing up and down with the white cap. Must be resting a bit. Oh, that is part of the process I forgot to write about, resting!
Done for Sheila!
Me trying to be done too!
Mike swam a couple of our imaginary laps. 
Trisha and Jay are getting hooked on the triathlon thing too. Fabulous picture of the happy couple!
The boys!
The boys plus 1!
Fun morning! Nice way to start off the 4th of July with our friends at the lake. Part two of the 4th will be coming soon. Thanks Jesus for our great friends that are such a blessing in our lives!
