He did it AGAIN. And for the first time.

So did I mention Steve won a truck roadeo again? And I'm not talking about Nicholas's roadeo last week. He went to the Utah Trucking Association's truck driving championships this weekend, as he has each time he's won at Nicholas & Co. BUT THIS TIME HE WON 1ST IN THE 5-AXLE DIVISION. Yay! And that's putting it mildly. =) I think there has only been one other Nicholas employee EVER to win this, and then he quit before he went to the national competition of the American Trucking Association. So . . . Steve will probably be going to Florida. Twice. Once Aug. 9-13 for the ATA's "National Truck Driving Championships" (all trucking industries included), and then he'll go Sept. 23-25 for the International Foodservice Distributors Association's "Food Industry Truck Driving Championships." We apparently are meant to get to know Orlando VERY well, lol. Funny, since the championships of both associations are supposed to move around each year, but we only seem to go to Florida. Ah well. Aside from the long plane trip, I don't mind.

I am just so absolutely THRILLED for Steve. So often I get frustrated for him because it seems like his work doesn't really appreciate him or take note of how well he does his job (even when customers fill out official forms praising him!), and his winning these competitions forces the bosses to take note. He was the first Nicholas driver to win the IFDA championship in 2009. And he'll be the first to go the the ATA championship this year (as long as they send him . . . which we're pretty sure they will).

Our kids got scattered this weekend: Crisha, of course, it already at Catalina Island studying up to teach scouts merit badges; Marina and Jessica went to their dad's in Provo; Jenero, Xeneea, Adria, and Sim went to stay with an aunt and uncle and cousins in Nibley; and Serene ended up staying with an aunt and uncle and cousins in Farmington (we go to drop off a welder and got our baby kidnapped as well). Okay, so that last was not planned. But they offered, and we admitted that Serene would have much more fun there, so Steve and I got a night and day to ourselves. Wow. But how fun to get them all back and let them know their dad won 1st! And how cute was Serene in her Krispy Kreme hat! (She got to go with her cousins and aunt to watch the doughnuts being made.)