Birthday Swim Cap!!! (and Sombrero)

My swim club has a tradition of making the birthday person wear an old-fashioned flower swim cap and posing for a picture while wearing it. I went to swim workout Friday evening expecting to wear it, but there was a bit of a snafu and the cap was in the wrong location. Well, after the incredibly tough sprint workout, I was to meet my daughters at Chevy's where they were going to treat me to a birthday dinner. To my surprise, my daughter Cheryl planned a surprise party and invited a bunch of folks from my club and a few close friends. And, to my delight, what was also waiting for me?? Yes, indeed -- the birthday cap.

Totally awesome, right! Besides enjoying some good food and even better company, one of my lane mates (Hank) treated me to a big shot of Patron. Ole!!! Talk about smooth!

Down the hatch!! After dinner, another lane mate (Taylor) treated me to a big shot of Citron! Ole Dos!! This had to be the best birthday I can recall in decades. A good time was had by all.

Cheryl (the party organizer), me, and Cristina.

Me and Leah. Can you tell I'm having a good time?

Hank and Me with the birthday card from Cheryl. Sex Kitten -- LOL.

Not only did I get to wear the Sun Devil Masters honorary birthday swim cap, but Chevy's came out with their own birthday sombrero. Ole, ole, ole!

A huge thank you to my daughter, Cheryl, for setting up the party, and also to everyone who came: Cristina, Phil, Chris, Leah, Karen P., Karen Z., Bruce, Chad, Marc, Kate, Taylor, Roger (who took these great photos), Barbara, Pam, and last but not least, Hank. Love you guys!!!

More Fossil Creek

Kate posted her photos and all I can say is "WOW"! Enjoy!!

 Beautiful, clear, water.

 Me sitting overlooking one of the beautiful ponds.

 Me standing under the falls (and yes, I am in a bikini!!)

 Felissa and Kelly. You can see how clear the water really is.

 The main falls. I just can't get over how gorgeous this place is.

 One of the smaller falls along the creek trail that show the mineral formation.

Another view from above.

Gooooo, Jen!!!

One of my former Masters coaches, Jennifer (Jen) Beckberger, who swam for ASU and now swims for the Canada national women's team, is looking to compete in the 2012 Olympics in London. She recently competed in the Pam Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico (10/15 and 10/16), and her team came home with the Bronze for the Women's 4x100 Freestyle relay. She narrowly held off a gal from Venezuela by the smallest of margins (she won by .18 seconds). I'm so proud of her. Here's the link to the video (her swim starts at 6 minutes 30 seconds into the video -- she's the relay anchor in lane 3).
She was such a good coach to our Masters team and I am so happy she is going on to really great things. Here are a couple of pictures I snagged from CBC Sports:

Jen is to the far left in the next three photos.

Jen leaning in for the medal podium shot.

Feel for Lumps -- Save Your Bumps

Anyone offended with this slogan in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month should be ashamed of themselves. But, that isn't exactly what happened at Gilbert High School this week. Here's an excerpt from the story that can be accessed in full here:
Gilbert High School has banned a cheerleading squad trying to raise money for breast-cancer research from wearing their pink shirts because the administration contends they carry an objectionable slogan.

The shirts, which say "Gilbert cheer" on the front and "Feel for lumps, save your bumps" on the back, were bought for the 56 freshman, junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders for $470, said Gayleen Skowronek, the cheer booster-club president.

The girls planned to wear the shirt at Friday's football game and the next home football game as they cheered and then walk around to collect money from the crowd.

Here's a picture of the banned shirt. Would the school principal be happy if the word "bumps" was changed to "breasts"? Unbelievable! Isn't this a violation of Free Speech? Mr. Santa Cruz should be ashamed of himself.

Langley's Country Market

When arriving at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve this morning, my daughter and I noticed a "Pumpkin Patch" sign across the street. A country market opened up a year ago, and we decided to check it out. What a find! They have lots of natural locally grown and made products, such as honey, olive oils, soaps, any more. Behind the store they have a small tree farm, a picnic area, and a covered ramada that served as their pumpkin patch.

The store clerk was so friendly and told us we could go out and see the livestock and just hang out if we felt like it. I snapped a few pictures with my cell phone -- what a great little place, so close to home. If you haven't had a chance to check them out, you should.