So I Married a Figure Athlete

I’m SOOOOO proud of my wife, Jennie.

She’s always been incredibly disciplined in all areas of life. Multiply that discipline with a real passion for health and fitness, and you’ve got a dangerous weapon on your hands!

She’s taught group fitness classes for years now, but this past winter and early spring she took it to a whole new level and competed in her first competitive Figure Athlete competition through the SNBF this past Saturday.

She worked so hard preparing and learning for this show, and I’m blown away at what she accomplished.

Oh, but before you think Jennie’s some ‘roided-out she-man, check out the criteria of the Figure division:

The Figure competition is a contest that is a combination of poise, coordination, skin tone, artistic presentation and a high display of elegance, personality and glamour. Each lady is expected to display a shapely, build with a soft athletic physique. This event is not a bodybuilding competition and competitors will be penalized for extreme physical definition and muscular development.

So let’s take a look at the Novice Figure – Tall Division…

Jennie’s the tallest of the Tall Division (shows you just how tall she is!!) wearing the purple suit.

And below are the Top 5 Results:

L to R: 4th, 2nd, 1st, 3rd (Jen), 5th

She was really happy with her result and very proud of her accomplishment!

And we all are too!!!

Easter: Ella and Cooper in Yaya’s Garden

We stayed over at Jennie’s Mom & Dad (Yaya & Papa)’s house Saturday night which is just 1.5 miles from the church.

So I zipped back over to pick up Jennie and the kids between rehearsal and the first service and had a chance to snap a few pics in Yaya’s garden in the great morning light…

  

I’m an Uncle!!

My sister Ashley and brother-in-law Michael (Olson) had their baby and I’m an Uncle for the first time (other than Leah’s dog, which honestly doesn’t count…)

Ella is so excited to finally have a cousin, and Cooper is, well, probably off breaking something right now…

Here’s Brody Michael Olson

Born: March 19, 2009

Weight: 6 lbs, 6.2 ozs

Length: 19″

Way to go, Sis!

Farewell, Grammie Harter

Yesterday morning, Jennie’s grandmother, Betty Harter, past away.

She was battling cancer and a brain tumor, and was in hospice care.

Even though we’re grateful that her suffering on this earth is no more, it is certainly sad to see her go.

I’ll always remember her as full of life and lively conversation – she could talk to you like she had known you for years, and I certainly enjoyed my time with her over this last decade that I knew her.

There’s an abundance of great stories about Grammie, including my favorite that involved an unsuspecting waiter – but we’ll leave that for another time.

Grammie leaves behind her a legacy of 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. Here she is with Ella and Cooper from a Cincinnati trip last June:

However, if you have a minute, please pray not only for the entire Harter family, but specifically Jennie’s parents, Beth and Jerry. Both have lost a parent within the last month, and it has certainly been a stressful time of grief and unexpected travel They’ve made the trek to Cincinnati several times over the last month, and unfortunately not for pleasant purposes.

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Farewell, Grammie – we’ll laugh together again someday!

Happy News, Sad News

Yesterday was significant in our lives.

Jennie and I celebrated with Cooper as he took his first, real steps.

However, just as his little life is blossoming, a life in his lineage came to an end.

We found out last night that Jennie’s grandfather, Charles “Papa” Moreton, passed away in the early evening.

He was in hospice after a lifelong battle of major acid reflux, including a bout with Esophageal Cancer, that left his digestive system unable to process nourishment. We had been expecting him to pass at some point this week or next.

We’ll miss him so much – he was a great Papa….

Ironic, isn’t it, that one, young twig of this family tree found a new blossom in the possibility and potential of the bright new morning sun, while a mature branch ran it’s course of life and slowly and quietly ended with the setting of that same sun.

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We’ll be heading to Cincinnati tomorrow for the funeral and visiting with family, so things will be quiet here for a few days…