Ragnar Relay 2008

2 vans, 12 people, 181 miles and 36 hours with no sleep - put all these together and you get the Ragnar Relay.

A 181 mile relay race from San Antonio to Austin. There is no one word to sum it up, but rather a million fun little memories....A tour of the Texas back roads in the wee hours, crossing cattle guards, dodging racoons, port o potty's in the middle of nowhere, a little AC/DC on Hell's Highway, waking up in a fire ant mound, running hills for the first time in months, passing men in red dresses, being Beaver Believer's...and best of all...watching the competition get RunDOWn!!

We came in 2nd overall and 1st in the Corporate Division...not bad for our first time out of the gates. thanks to all for the awesome memories, keep running...we have a Canon to win!! MOM

Loading up the team vans...

Team RunDOWn

Watching the competition take off.

Teams that would eventually get RunDOWN...Our first runner (Doug) takes off

Waiting for Spencer at Mile 4Both teams cheering our runners

Van 1

Van 2

They have too much energy....Teri survives her first 6.8 through town

Watching for Dan My Kiddos

Go Gadget Go

Waiting at night

Ed geared up

Greg hands off to Jay

Jay looking for his gear

Van 2 TRIES to sleep

Doug leads off the last major exchange for Van 1

I was actually running pretty fast...

Morgan wants more hills next year
Greg dodges a truck to hand off to Jay for the last time

Run Forrest Run

My boys are Carnivores!

Our first place batons....we are Numero Uno!!

Some time with Friends & Family

While we were in NC for the wedding we also attended a cook out at the Yarbrough's with friends and family. It was a brisk evening, perfect for a cook out and bond fire.

We were so excited to be wearing winter coats!

What handsome siblings...I love you guys!!

So...which one do you think we get our looks from?My Escort Blake Old Friends....

Cousins Corey & Sam
The Newleyweds

Aunt Lynn sneaks a hug

The Cooks

Corey & Uncle Jimmy talk shop

My Little Brother Get's Hitched

Jeremy and Lori tied the knot on October 18th at New Hope United Methodist, in our home town. Congratulations little brother!! I am so excited for both of you. I can also say from recent experience, that the next year will be one of the most challenging, yet most rewarding of your life. Growing together as a couple is a wonderful experience, so enjoy every second of it. Remember to devote as much time to building your marriage as you do to everything else in life, because in the end, a storng marriage is what will carry you when everything else seems to be going wrong. Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day. All our love....Laura & Jay

The Gang's All Here....

The getaway

The Safts

While we were in NC, Jay made a side trip to Asheville to visit our friends, Aaron, Beth and Keagan. Keagan is getting so big and he has turned into such a handsome young man. Sorry I missed you guys, but I am glad to hear that everything is still well in western NC. Hope to catch you on the next trip.

Herb & Diane Visit

Jay's mom and dad made the voyage down to Clute for 8 days in early October. We spent the first few days hanging out in Clute and catching up. Over the weekend we decided to explore some of Southern Texas, so we headed to Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg is about 5 hours from Clute, just west of Austin it is a very historic town, largely influenced by the early German settlers. The area is also very popular for the outdoor enthusiast as there are a large number of state parks, we visited two of them. Perdenales Falls and Enchanted Rock. We also stayed at a really nice B&B in Fredericksburg, called Queen Anne.

Laura & Jay at Perdenales Falls...who knew there was water that blue in Texas!

Herb & Diane at the Auslander for dinner
The Johns Family half way up Enchanted Rock


Heading Down into Enchanted Cave

Yes, this photo was taken in Texas....