| Vacations & Weekends Last Updated: 3/1/2026 | |||||||||||||
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Home Our House Free Time MW T&F Championship NSIC Championship Christmas Break 2025 MW XC Championships Family Weekend Fall in Colorado Wyoming Invitational Off-Campus Housing Italy Outdoor Track Spring Break 2025 Extended Family |
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At the end of February, Allison went to Reno, NV to finish her second collegiate indoor track season by participating in the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships. She ran the 5000m and the 3000m, and placed 11th and 13th, respectively. She also got a new personal record in the 5000m. The women's team came in 3rd, and the men's team came in 1st (for the 3rd time in a row!). A fun way to end a quick indoor season. For pictures and/or videos of this, 
In February, Sydney finished her second season of collegiate swimming at the NSIC Women's Swim and Dive Championship four day meet in Fargo, ND. While there, she ended up getting new personal records for 2 events (100 Breaststroke and 200 IM). As a member of the scoring team, she helped obtain points for the team (by placing in the top 16) for the following events:
While the kids were home for Christmas break, we tried to keep busy. We went to a couple of local things... Thornton WinterFest, Denver Christkindlemarket, and a local production of Frozen. We also did some typical Christmas activities... making a gingerbread house, opening presents (and playing with them - e.g. putting together a puzzle), and enjoying some crab for dinner. An unusual thing we did was that we went to a farm to go check out some Highland Cows. And, Brad and Allison enjoyed a little snow in the mountains. For pictures and/or videos of this, 
At the end of October, Brad and Tami went to Fresno, CA to watch Allison race with her team at the Mountain West Cross Country Championships. Their team ended up in fifth place. Following the race, Brad and Tami killed some time before their flight playing mini-golf at Ghost Golf (since it was Halloween). For pictures and/or videos of this, 
In October, Brad and Tami went to Minnesota for Family weekend. The focus of the weekend was watching Sydney swim at the Rochester Invite in Rochester, MN. Her team won the meet. Brad and Tami also treated Sydney to some meals and re-supplied her apartment/food needs. For pictures and/or videos of this, 
In September, Tami and Brad went on a hike to Ouzel Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a gorgeous day, and the aspens were at their peak for the season. For pictures and/or videos of this, 
In August, Allison had her first cross country meet of the season, in Wyoming. The team took 1st place at the meet, and Allison led the team with a 2nd place overall finish. For pictures and/or videos of this, 
In August, both of the girls moved back to college. This year, they both changed to off-campus housing. Allison is in a 3 bedroom house, and Sydney is in a 5 bedroom townhouse. For pictures and/or videos of this, 
In June, we took a trip to Italy. We started our trip in Rome, where we saw the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and many more things. We also took a pasta making class while there. After a few days there, we took a train to Florence to see the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, climb the dome, and walk along the Ponte Vecchio (as well as other things). The next day, on our way to Riomaggiore in Cinque Terre, we took a few hour stop in Pisa to get some typical pictures with the leaning tower. In Cinque Terre, we visited the small towns and walked along the Sentiero Azzurro trail. We also took some time to enjoy the beach in Monterosso al Mare, as well as a little swimming in our town. Leaving Cinque Terre, we headed to Venice, where we saw the Grand Canal, St. Mark's Square, St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, Rialto bridge, glass works on Murano, colorful houses on Burano. And of course, many different vaporetto rides, as well as a gondola ride. Besides the items listed we saw/experienced many other things. Overall, a great (albeit hot) vacation. We took an very large number of photos, but here a fraction of them so you get an idea of our experience. For pictures and/or videos of this, 
Allison finished up her final sport of the year, outdoor track, in May. She started racing the 3000m Steeplechase this season and enjoyed it. At Conference, she ended up placing 8th in the event. The parents were able to make it to one of Allison's meets in Ft. Collins, and then the Conference Championships in Clovis, CA. For pictures and/or videos of this, 
For spring break this year, there was only one day of overlap for Allison and Sydney. So, we decided to fill up that one day in the mountains. We started our day with snowmobiling, followed up with some tubing, taking a break in the hotel hot tub, doing some axe throwing, and then watching a movie at the hotel. A long, but very fun day! For pictures and/or videos of this,