Adam's Big Surprise

Adam celebrated his 40th birthday last month! His family - who all live in Utah and Idaho - wanted to make a surprise visit for his birthday. Plans were made and they rented a house in Kissimmee, so the 11 family members could stay together.

Adam's mom told him she was coming for a visit, but he had no idea about the rest of the family. I was supposed to come up with a reason to get him to the rental house for the big surprise. Hmm...I could not think of a single believable reason to get him there! And I am not a believable liar. What to do? I finally decided to just tell Adam that I had a belated birthday present for him, and we needed to stop somewhere on our way to pick up his mom at the airport. So, he wondered all the way there while I gave directions. When we got to the house, I simply sent him up to the front door. And he found his whole family waiting for him!

The next couple of days were just spent hanging out together. We hadn't seen Adam's family for 3 to 4 years, and got to meet four nieces and nephews for the first time!

 The pool at the rental house

Ellany loved swimming!

 Adam and all the cousins

Brynn was great with the little kids

Siblings

 Beth, Elia & Eli

Sarah & Michael (We missed Don & Jack!)

 Harper, Erin, Seth & Truman

Everybody except poor Claudia, who was sick. :0(

Thanks for coming to visit, Evans family! :0)

10K Run For Sophia

This is my niece, Sophia. She was born on February 15, 2010 to Ben (my brother) and Amory. Sophia had a rare condition called CHARGE syndrome. She was only with us on this earth for two short weeks.

To remember Sophia, Ben and Amory planned a 10K (6.2 miles) run in her honor. My parents and I flew out to Texas to participate. We ran the Cowtown race in Fort Worth, along with thousands of other people. Part of the course went past the cemetery where Sophia was laid to rest. Our group all wore pink shirts and/or pink bandannas for Sophia.

 Amory, Ben, Me, Mom, Dad

Amory's brother, Logan, had "Sophia" sewn on his shorts!

 This is my friend, Angela. We grew up together and were college roommates. She now lives in the same part of Texas as Ben, so we got to hang out. Angela even participated in the 10K with us!

I had planned to run the 10K race. But 5 weeks before, I injured myself while running - probably tendinitis. On my way to Texas, my leg still hurt and I didn't know if I would be running or walking the race. The night before, I walked up the stairs thinking, "My leg feels pretty good. I might just run tomorrow!" Minutes later, I came back down the stairs and missed the bottom step. I landed on my bad leg, and was limping again after that. Curses!!! So, I walked the 10K with a brace on my leg and Angela at my side.

 My Cowtown 10K and "Longest Distance Traveled To The Race" medals

  Mom & Dad

The Texas Biglers

I'm so glad that I got to participate in this family event. I think it was a wonderful way to remember Sophia. Ben and Amory plan on doing it every year!