Mitch and Erin PerkinsOur Life!

Madi just got back from girls camp. She had an absolute blast and was treated so well by everyone. She was so happy. I am so grateful for her leaders that spent so much time making so nice for all of them. Madi was so happy! WE sure missed her. We are so glad she is back. Lincoln was definitely odd man out this week. He is so happy to have her back and the boys!

We headed to Logan to run the Ragnar race, at 4 am and finished about 12:40 the next day…. The race took us 30 hours; an average mile time of 9.40. I was thrilled the average was under 10 minutes. Just to give some perspective, the BYU men’s track team ran it in 17 hours, with an average of a 5:30 mile. We were just so proud that all of us ran, all of us finished, and we did a pretty respectable job. Mitchell blew our mind! He ran his first leg of about 7 miles and flew. We have the best pictures of him, and we couldn’t catch up to him in the car. He averaged a 6.20 mile on that leg of the race. Then his next leg was about 8 miles up hill. He did that at about a 7.20 pace. I was floored. The kid is an animal. He would pick someone out and run fast enough to pass them, and then continue on. It was amazing. By about 9 pm that night we were done with that last leg and we were exhausted. We ate dinner and then we crashed at a high school at about 11:00 pm and then were up and going at 4:30 am again. By that morning none of us felt like running ever again. Our stomachs were sick, our bodies ached and we were just exhausted. Mitchell ran some of Jordan’s 8 miles and then Kate and I kicked in and ran the rest. Mitchell then ran his last 5 mile leg. That was a thrill to watch. He picked out some high school track kid and flew past him at the end. He collapsed and just lay there. The boy should be a runner. He is so competitive and so athletic and he would be so good!! He ran almost 22 miles and did it at an average of a 6.40 mile. Jordan was incredible with his hurt knees. Travis who didn’t know he was doing this until last week was amazing and Mitch was the energizer bunny. He was miserable and sick from the moment we left and yet he just kept going. I ran a little bit of the last run with him and was so touched by his effort!! Kate has a really hurt knee and kept offering to run for everyone. It was a memory I will never forget. It meant the world to Mitchell and is something he will hold to when he is on his mission. It was so fun to be together, cheering each other on for that long. It truly was amazing. My dad drove the entire time and never wavered! It was a definite highlight of my life. One I won’t repeat but one I am so glad I was able to participate in! I was so proud of everyone. I am so glad we did it and even more grateful that my leg didn’t bother me. I had put everyone’s name on the prayer roll that was in our car and not a one of us got hurt (well more than we already were). I wish I had remembered to put the other car on. They really struggled. I was so proud of everyone. One of my funniest memories was running into a guy I knew. I kept trying to figure where I knew him. He said “hi Erin”. I said “hey what are you doing here?” He said “running the Ranger, what are you doing here?” I laughed and then said “well technically I am not running I am speed walking the Ragnar.” We talked then I left to go run my next leg of the race. I took off and found a guy I thought looked like he was running a pretty comfortable and slow place. I stayed with him and as I ran along I realized the man was my doctor! Yes the doctor who told me I had a stress fracture and needed to stay off my leg and not run the Ragnar. I then went up to him when I saw him again and apologized, laughing pretty darn hard. I said “I am so sorry, I didn’t run the first leg, and I did run the second.” He laughed and said “I know. I saw! It is your leg, and your money!” That was funny. He did say “it looks like you aren’t limping so that is good.” Truly it is amazing I feel really good. That was a funny moment. The other was Mitchell flying past the high school kid, and Jon running eight miles without ever stopping, up the Ragnar. Truly it was amazing!!
See the pictures on the right hand side!

MITCHELL GOT A 23 ON THE ACT!!! Okay that may not sound like something to trumpet but we are so dang proud of him. That is way better than Mitch or I did and is the minimum you can score to get the leadership scholarship at Utah State. I was totally bawling. What a huge miracle. Now let’s just pray they will give it to him and hold it while he is on his mission. We could not be happier for him! He truly worked so hard all week taking those stupid practice tests. I am so unbelievably thrilled for him! He is going to be so proud!

Mitchell and Taylor just got back from the Utah State Positions basketball camp last week. They had an absolute blast being there together. We had hoped they would be placed on the same team, Mitchell being point guard and Taylor shooting guard. They formed teams, and then moved kids around so the teams would be even. Lo and behold the two both played point guard and were on different teams. Each night we would get a great report from Mitchell. Day one he scored 30 points in his first game with 11 assist; Second game 36 points. Taylor didn’t feel he had done very well. He missed about 6- 3 pointers. The second day Taylor said he felt he did a lot better (they moved him that day to point guard) and Mitchell felt he had a rough start. The two played each other in the semi final game. Mitchell’s team was up by 15 and lost in the final 5 seconds to Taylor’s team as Taylor shot a game winning 3. Mitchell called so excited to tell me. It so touched me that Mitchell would be so proud of Taylor. Taylor also told me at half time Mitchell had already made 4 – 3 pointers, and several other shots. The coach yelled out “guard him, we already know he can shoot.” Taylor then suggested he guard his brother. The kid guarding Mitchell said “why, I am doing a good enough job.” Taylor said “then why are we losing?” Funny! ~ Taylor then guarded him with help from his team and they shut Mitchell down. That night one of the coaches pulled Taylor aside to talk to him. He asked where Taylor played basketball. Taylor replied he didn’t really play for a high school team, explaining he had played JV as a freshman for Bountiful and then did not play last year. The coach told him how great he felt his footwork, and shots were. He strongly suggested Taylor transfer schools telling him what potential he saw. It made Taylor’s day. Lo and behold he found out when he got home, it was the defensive coach for Utah State that had talked to him. Taylor was thrilled he knew his name. The next day Taylor played in the camp championship and lost by one point. He was bummed. The coaches pick ten kids and name them the all star team for the camp. Taylor and Mitchell both were named to the team. They then are nominated for different things. Taylor was nominated best defensive player of the camp. Mitchell was in a lot of competitions (the coaches pick their top player to compete) foul shots, three pointers, etc. He didn’t win anything but finished top three a couple times. They both LOVED it and it was just what they needed to keep going. Taylor is trying to decide what to do. I think it taught us a couple things; first Taylor and Mitchell have gotten where they are from playing each other! Second if basketball is truly meant to be a part of their life, it will be regardless of the high school team. Lastly, pretty sad the coach up at USU knew Maxwell and told Taylor he needed to go somewhere else.

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