Riley and Emily Shock

My Life

2011-01-21T20:10:00.000-08:00

Wow I am amazed at how fast life fly's by, a lot has happened to our little family. After we came home from Denver, Riley started getting thing going for crossfit so that we could be up and running by January.

I started a new job, instead of tutoring one on one with a kid, I now work at an Elementary school doing random things. Some of my responsibilities at work are small ESL groups (5th & 2nd grades) Recess lady, bath-rooming and math remediation. It's not the ideal job, but I like it.

About mid December we were able to start crossfit because we were affiliated and we found a location. Since we started the middle of the month we decided to make it free for everyone until the first of January. It has been a slow start getting equipment and people to come but it's coming. We are called CROSSFIT STOIC and are up and running. We love everything about crossfit and enjoy helping other people become fit.

Riley and I decided to have our own Christmas morning together before we went the shock's. I loved having Christmas together. Then we went to the shock's for christmas, we especially loved talking to Brady on the phone and hearing about his mission. Then later that day we went to the poulson's for another christmas. This was fun to see my family and to watch the nephew's and niece's act out the nativity.

Just after christmas we went to the cabin and had a blast snowmobiling and snowshoeing. These are just a few things that have happened to us the last few months.

Denver

2010-11-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

At the end of October Riley and I went to Denver for Riley to get crossfit trained, so he can be a trainer. Lucky enough we were able to go stay with my Aunt and uncle Pam and Paul Gordon. So while Riley was in training all day I got to hang out with uncle Paul and he took me all over Denver. I was able to see a lot of the city that I have never seen. Paul and Pam took us out to eat and introduced us to some different food, which was actually good. We had a great time and Riley passed his training and test he had to take, now he can train crossfit classes. Thank you uncle Paul and aunt Pam for the fun times and letting us stay with you. It was great and I can't wait to go again.

Church at Air force Academy.

Denver Temple

Denver Rockies, Choors Field

Tunnel on our way home

We went from Sunny Denver to Snowing Canyon

To sunny White river canyon

Shock Girls night out!!!

2010-11-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

In October I was lucky enough to hang out with my girl in-laws at snowbird. We got together on friday October 15 and went to the temple. Then stopped to do a little shopping and then we headed up to snowbird. There we ate dinner and had a fashion show on the swim suit we just bought. Then we dipped into the hot tub and hung out there to talk, Jamie, Tara and I stayed up for a while. Once we were cooked we went back to the room to watch a movie. The next day we took the tram up to the top of snowbird walked around there and then Jamie and I ran down the mountain, while the other took the tram back down. Tara had to head home, while the rest of us went park city to go shopping. This little night out was so fun, I had a blast hanging out the my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. Thanks mom for putting it together and everyone for coming!!

Timpanogos Hike

2010-10-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

YEAH.... I finally had the opportunity to hike to the top of Timpanogos peak, thanks to aunt Janet for putting it together. Janet, Heidi, some of Janet's neighbors and I went to hike timp at 3:30 in the morning. It took us about 4-5 hours to get to the peak and about 3-4 hours back. This hike was so much and a lot easier to hike than I was expecting. We saw lots of wild life as we hiked. I would love to hike it again next year, any takers?

The Start of the big hike!

The Hills are alive!!!

At the Saddle, trying to be tough! Didn't work though.

We made it!!!

It was so cold at the peak! Can you tell?

We were trying to be goats.

Lake Powell

2010-10-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Wow it has taken me a long time to up date my blog. Here is a few things that has happened since the last post.

We went to Lake Powell in the middle of August with Riley's family and some friends. It was so much fun. We did a lot of wake boarding, swimming, tubing, cliff jumping, hiking and surfing. We were lucky enough to be there for about a week on a house boat.

Family Reunion 2010

2010-08-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

At the end of July Riley and I went to Colorado for a family reunion on the Shock side. It was all of Riley's aunts and uncles on his dad's side that were there. We were by Lake city Colorado, this place was beautiful!! The whole time we were there it rained off and on, it was very fun though. We just hung out with the family playing games and talking. Every time there is family get together I always meet at least 5 people I didn't know, its great!! I absolutely love the Shock Family.

Basketballs or Volleyballs

2010-08-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

To all who read my blog, I have a favor to ask of you. I was wondering if anyone has an old basketball or volleyball they don't want or that is flat and would be willing to give it to me. I would really appreciated it. If you have one please call me or write a comment and I will come and get it. Thanks so much!! You are wonderful and such great friends!!!

May 2010 Update

2010-06-10T09:19:00.001-07:00

It has been awhile since I have written anything on the blog about what is going on, so here is the update. Once I finished student teaching the Shock fam went up to Rexburg to visit my sister-in-law and to see her daughter be baptized. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and we also went and played at gymnastic place on the trampolines, bar and balance beam.

We got back from Idaho on sunday about 3 and then packed the car and Riley, Kolby, some friends and I went down to Moab to do our annual trip. In Moab we hiked double-0 arch, played around in the fiery furnace and of course rock climbing. On the way back we stopped in green river and jumped in the river, which was freezing. We got back from Moab on Wednesday and then on Saturday I graduated from Utah State.

The next day Riley and my Family hopped on a plane to California to go get on a cruise to Mexico. WOW is all I can say about the cruise it was incredible. The ship alone was beyond anything I could have imagined, It was massive and so many fun things to do. The cruise stopped in three different ports Cabo San Lucas, Mazatian and Puerto Vallarta. The First port was Cabo San Lucas this is where we went snorkeling and played on the beach in the waves, I got beat up pretty bad by the waves but so much fun. Then we went to Mazatian this is where we went on a zip line, I had never been on a zip line and it was awesome. The tour guides we had were so fun, they let us go upside down and they would have bounce us, it made it much more exciting. The last port we went to was Puerto Vallarta. We went snorkeling again and also went to a waterfall and played on the beach, this was by far my favorite port. It was beautiful with all the greenery and the water was warm. After Puerto Vallarta it was time to head back to California so two days at sea. The whole trip was so much I fully enjoyed myself thank you so much mom and dad for such a fun and memorial trip.

We were only home for about a week and a half then it was the annual memorial weekend trip with the 4th ward. This year we went to Idaho by Twin falls areas. Here we saw a lot of waterfalls and cool deep canyons. Also we played on sand dunes and some hiking. Overall it was a great camping trip. That about wraps it up in a quick update, I am sure we will have a lot more adventures this summer.

There are more pictures of our adventures on facebook if you want to see more.

photography

2010-06-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to be a photographer and taking artistic looking pictures lately. Here are some picture of me trying to take cool pictures of my nieces and nephews.

Moab

2010-05-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our annual Moab trip!!!

GRADUATING

2010-05-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

YEAH I'M GRADUATING!!!

I am graduating in Special education and my majors are severe disabilities

and early childhood special education. I will graduate on May 8, 2010 at the

Spectrum at 12:00!

I am super excited to be graduating and can't wait to start teaching somewhere.

Thanks to all of you who have helped to achieve this great accomplishment,

I have appreciated every ones love and support.

HURRAY!!!

2010-04-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a good video for the Monday Blues!!

Need a laugh, watch this!!

2010-04-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

2010-02-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

Do me a favor...

Young people around the country are taking a stand and raising awareness of the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the words “retard” or “retarded” and are helping encourage Americans to think before they speak.

Help eliminate the demeaning use of the R-word(retard) –a common taunt used to make fun of others. Often unwittingly, the word is used to denote behavior that is clumsy and even hopeless...

BUT WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR NOT, THE WORD CONJURES UP A PAINFUL STEREOTYPE OF PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. IT HURTS. EVEN IF YOU DON'T MEAN IT THAT WAY.

On or before March 3, visit www.r-word.org and make your pledge to not use the R-word.

~To all of my friends, family and other blog viewers... please take a minute to think about this, do some research and evaluate your own vocabulary. This is something I have been passionate about since I was a child, please help spread the word to end the word.

2010-02-09T11:36:00.000-08:00

I read this on my friend Tashina's blog and I really liked it so I decided to put it on my blog for all of you to read. It is very inspirational.

GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and20he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.

He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax..

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to the Lord, h e comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my beliefs, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

Triathlon

2009-11-25T15:19:00.000-08:00

BEAR LAKE BRAWL

This summer I decided to do a triathlon because I have always wanted to do one and my friend Sunny convinced me to do one with her. So we signed up in June, trained all summer and did the triathlon in September. The Triathlon was at Bear lake, you can imagine how cold the water was for the swim. I survived the swim, unfortunately I don't have a picture of it. I do have picture of the rest of the Triathlon.

Coming in from about 12 mile bike ride, I had to drop the bike and start running.

This is me sprinting to the finish line and giving it all I could to the end!
3.2 mile run

This is me crossing the finish line, yeah I completed a triathlon!

Getting a drink, man was i thirsty!

Still smiling!

Showing off my big guns, oh i mean my cool number!!
I was number 265

A proud husband!

Packing up all my stuff to go.

This was such an amazing experience and I am so proud that I not only completed a triathlon I never stopped and I did it under 2 hours which was my goal for the first triathlon. After doing this triathlon I think I am hooked because I am starting to train for the next one ( in a year).

Award winning face!!!

2009-11-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

This is an old picture but put a smile on my face every time I look at it!!

This one is for you mom!!

2009-11-15T12:17:00.001-08:00

LAKE POWELL

In August we were able to go to Lake Powell with Riley's Family and it was a blast!! We Wake boarded, hiked, explored and cliff jumped. This was the last big hurrah for Brady before he left of a mission to Peru. We had so much fun and already we are planning a trip for next year!!

I love Lake Powell!

Riley Jumping off the cliff and we guest it is about 65 feet,

he is CRAZY!!

and then there is me just jumping of about 25 to 30 feet,

I am not as adventurous as Riley!

This was a fun slot canyon we found and climb all around it!

Still the slot canyon

And more of the slot canyon!

Riley doing what he does best wake boarding!

what's new with the Shocks

2009-06-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

I have gotten so many people telling me that I need to update my blog, so here you go everyone. Riley and I have been so busy with playing hard, working and going to school. We love to play, so this is a major part of our life. We love the water so we like to go boating, floating the river and just go old playing in a pool. We go to Moab at least once a year, sometimes more when we are lucky. We go during my spring break to go rock climbing and hiking. Our favorite places to go is Wall street ( big Climbing wall), arches and fiery furnace. I'll just let the pictures show you what we like to do.....

2008-07-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Memorial day fun!

Fun Stuff

2007-11-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

This is a funny video on cats I know that my family will like it and all cat lovers. ENJOY!

Shocks Life

2007-11-29T09:32:00.001-08:00

We have been married for one whole year, crazy I never thought we'd make it but we did. This year has been a great adventure for me, with transferring to a new school, moving 5 times and learning all the fun stuff the Shock family does together. I am going to Utah State and just got into their special education program for early childhood and serve. I am very excited to get started and learn all I can so I can teach the most amazing kids I know. I have always wanted to work with children and a few years ago I discovered the special ed program and fell in love with those kids and can't wait to get into the classroom with them. Riley is busy working for is dad doing construction and loving it. He also was picked to be on the climbing search and rescue team for weber county, he is so excited and can't wait to have an opportunity to go and rescue someone. I am happy for him because he has wanted to do this for a long time. Yes, we have moved 5 times in one year, we are nuts I know but by now we are pretty good at moving now. We have moved from Ogden to Logan and to a different place in Logan, back to Ogden and now we are in Roy. The Shock family plays a lot different than I am used to but I am loving learning how to snowmobile, motorcycle, four wheeling, wake boarding, skiing, rock climbing and just waiting for something to break or go wrong on our trips. We are very happy and absolutely love being married. This is just a little bit about our first year and what we have done.