A little fun in the sun

"Do you want to go to Sea World with us today?"
(actually it was about 7 weeks ago, & I didnt know I was pregnant at the time ;)
It was like music to my ears. You say theme park, and I'll be the first in line...popcorn, hotdogs, turkey legs, lemon slushies, dippin dots, roller coasters, animals, dancing, entertainment.

...Jonathan on the other hand, despises theme parks

We were pretty stoked about the water roller coaster being our first ride for the afternoon. It appeared to be harmless & everyone getting off the ride was mostly dry.

We were all in for a surprise...Tyler's face is priceless.
The ride captured us in this cave like thing and sent our boat up to the top of another drop. I quickly grabbed my camera in hopes of catching a glimpse of Tyler who was squealing like a girl behind us. We were all drenched & it appeared to be just the beginning of our little adventure...

Once out of the tunnel we were sent swirling around in the chilly late afternoon air.
I think Jonathan & I had the best seats. However I wish you all could have heard him screaming.

Mark & Kristin on the other hand, got it the worst. They were soaked. Mark rang his shirt out twice as I watched water stream from the ends of it both times.

Even though we were wet & cold, Jonathan found several ways of warming himself up.

Take note of the sign below. It was posted directly in front of Jonathan's face :)
"These animals can bite, please do not reach into the water"

Loving my brother...and the amazing Budweizer Clydesdales behind us!!!
Magnificent creatures.

Baby Shower for baby Keller

I had the privilege of joining this happy expectant couple in Costa Mesa. Jessica's mom & girlfriends threw here an adorable "Pea in the Pod" baby shower. I was so EXCITED that i was able to make it up there!!!!!
We are so happy for you two! You'll be excellent parents...can't wait to meet the little guy.

On track

The 2009 track season is in full swing. Last week I was in L.A. for an open meet where I competed in the 100m, the 110m high hurdles, and the pole vault. Similar to a 400m race last month, my 100m race was the fastest heat of athletes I had ever gone up against. With guys at 10.3 and 10.4, my 10.8 felt sluggish. Below is footage of me getting wasted, and running 1/10th second slower than my goal of 11.0 for the early season. No big deal, really, just punching the clock. Lane 1 in red (get out your magnifying glass)...

After that race I went on to have a small p.r. in the hurdles, but am still not content with where I'm at in that event. If I were a slower sprinter, it would make more sense, but... I guess improvement is improvement, so I can't complain.

After hurdles I pole vaulted and had my first experience of breaking a pole in mid "flight". Other than a bruised skull, a throbbing big toe, and some missing thumb skin, I escaped without any major injuries. I went on to clear 15'3" which is an acceptable clearance for now, though I'd like to make 16' this year's norm. (I have video of the break on a non-digital camera. I'll try and figure a way to post it.)

I have my first full decathlon of the season later this week. I'll give the report this weekend.

In other news, I just got back from the Arcadia Invite which is one of, if not the largest high school track meet in the nation. My high school athlete, Trevor Moore, went 10 for 10 in decathlon p.r.s and scored 5,598 points, a 1,000 point improvement from this time last year. This is a pretty big deal, as it solidifies his acceptance to a div. 1 track program (school choice still to be determined). Way to go dude.

Also at that meet was a kid who is arguably the greatest high school athlete in our nation's history. He demolished the highschool national decathlon record by over 500 points and posted a performance of olympic caliber. I got decent footage of all of his events and put together a video mix. It's had over 2,000 views in the first 24 hours, which says a lot about the significance of the feat. You can check out a low res. version of the video here.

Stay tuned for another Sandy-and-Company update!

Time to put the belly to work

Word on the street is...

Mr. & Mrs. Collins are expecting!

With great pride & joy we are excited to officially announce that soon a wee little Collins baby will be born.

Expected due date: October 21st, 2009

I am currently starting my 12th week

And will soon be ending my first trimester! YAY!!

We have known about this for almost 6 weeks now & decided to wait it out a bit before making the grand announcement.

This past Wednesday we made this news official by sharing with family first,

and now all our friends and faithful bloggers.

We are excited to see how our future unfolds.

It is currently as mysterious to us as it is to you ;)

so you can refrain from asking questions, because we don't have answers for you LOL!

And simply for your enjoyment (or maybe just for mine:)...