Claremont Details and Photos

Here are a few random details about the week in L.A:

-on Tuesday (we left Wed), we got the truck back! We had been going around and around with the mechanic because there was a bent push rod, they wanted to replace the WHOLE engine ($5-6,000)...we talked to lots of people, decided to have them just change the push rod and see what happened. They made a big deal of saying there were no guarantees, the truck might not go, etc. We picked it up, it seemed to be running fine, but we weren't sure it would make it to LA. So we decided to take the truck AND the mercedes down to LA...figured that it would be a good way to test out the truck....with the security of another vehicle just in case. We figured that with 2 semi-reliable cars, surely at least ONE would get us there! And you better believe we signed up with AAA before we left, too! We made it there and back in both cars. Incidentally, we filled both cars before we left and never had to put veggie oil in either car the whole trip...almost 6 hours there and back. Crazy!
-Joe used to compete with a guy named Chad Smith. He was a really good decathlete...scored 8133. He retired several years back...and now works as the strength and conditioning coach for the LA Kings. He and Joe have remained good friends...and Chad decided to come out of retirement and do the decathlon with Joe just for fun! He ended up pulling a muscle during the long jump...but he toughed out the shot and high jump, then called it. He hung around and helped Joe catch marks and offered his knowledgeable eye throughout both days of the decathlon. It was awesome to have him around for the whole competition!

-my good friend from Jonesboro, Kim Shumpert, and her husband Brad, were in Malibu last weekend to present at a conference at Pepperdine. They drove out to Claremont for the second part of Day 1, then treated us to dinner before they had to head back to Malibu for an evening session. Kim is my boss at Paces, who I still write grants for/with. Kim and I are also kindred spirits! It was so much fun to see them!

-Another dear friend, Jenny, lives in LA with her husband Mick. Jenny cooked us a delicious brunch (sticky buns, bacon, quiche, fruit!) on Sunday morning and we enjoyed visiting with them. They are having their first child at the end of June, so it was especially fun to see Jenny pregnant! Mick and Jenny are both super creative and always provide engaging conversation. My only regret is that I forgot to take a single photo at their house.

-After brunch, we went to the beach in Santa Monica. It wasn't super warm, but it was sunny...and there is just something about the beach that calms my spirit. We had a relaxing evening Sunday night, then drove back up to Stockton today.

-Joe still has to figure out a plan for his next meet. There is a "last chance" decathlon in Texas during the first part of June...so basically he has to decide whether to just do that one, or try to squeeze another one in during May (there are not many to chose from). We'll let you know!

To see a bunch of photos of the meet (and a few other misc weekend pics) click here.