Gearing Up

For a 7-year-old birthday party at our house this weekend.  Do I really have a 7-year-old already?  Really?  REALLY?

Month of the Race

Managed a 6.5 mile run in the rain on Saturday morning. Felt good. You would not believe how tough I had to get with myself to mentally push myself out that door, though. My IPod didn't fare so well. Battery was dead, so I left it behind the tire of the car. When I came back it was in a puddle. Ooops. I put it in a bowl of rice when I got home and that brought it back to life, but I couldn't get it to work again this morning. Maybe it needs more rice bowl solitary confinement.

The nice thing about dead IPod batteries is that you have lots of time to think. And be quiet. I work through a lot of stuff when I'm running. Attain a higher level of clarity. Problems seem to fix themselves.  God speaks because it's when my mind is the emptiest.

I have been itching to do a triathlon for some time now.  Miss it.  Trained last year and missed the sign up deadline by a day.  Boo.  That will not happen this year.  I have my sights set on July 16th.  Excited and nervous at the same time.  Open water swim always looms like a giant.  Anxiety rules until I'm out of the water running toward Transition #1.

So my current July race schedule plan looks like this:

July 4 - Local 5k
July 9 - Local 5k (will run/walk with Kekoa) followed by the 10k
July 16 - Triathlon (.6 mile swim/18 mile bike/5.5 mile run)
July 24 - Warrior Dash (MN)?

It's going to be a great month!

Father's Day 2011

The Anti-Bucket List

The idea of a bucket list really appeals to me.  Beings how I like lists and all.  But at the same time, I find it kind of restrictive.  I like the randomness of life.  And how my bucket list kind of writes itself as I live.  There are so many things I would have never done (such as limping gimpily to the finish line in a marathon being cheered on by a 70-year-old marathon runner from CA or throwing up my banana breakfast as I biked up a hill after victoriously conquering my fears in my first open water swim at an Olympic distance triathlon in Arizona or taking a take-your-breath-away-cold dip in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Cape Sounion just before sunset at the ruins of the Temple of Poseiden or having a portrait made of Craig and I by a street artist on a warm, festive evening at Piazza Navona in Rome) if I'd dreamed up a list on my own.  So bucket list, schmucket list.  Get out there and live.  I've found great reward in just taking the opportunities as they present themselves.  What are some things you've done that haven't been on your bucket list?

I Hope She Doesn't Mind

One of the first people I saw on arrival at our MI wedding destination site this past weekend, was this lovely lady.  "I know you," she said brightly with a large, welcoming smile.  Before I could say, "You do?", she added, "I know you from your blog."  I do love it when that happens, but I'm also left with a strange, lopsided feeling of knowing that they know way more about me than I do about them.  Like there's a warmer, more familiar feeling between us than being mere acquaintances, but then not quite.  And my mind instantly races to remember what I've posted over the last four years before I shut it down and remind myself that with my tendency to overshare and be a little too honest, I probably don't want to know.  I was so pleased to meet you this past weekend, Karen.  I'll be on the lookout for a comment once in awhile.  *ahem*

Summer Time

I always get a little sad when the First Day of Summer arrives. You see, that means the days are about to start getting shorter instead of longer. And I'm just not ready for that yet. By the time summer arrives, it seems like it's gone. So, time, if you can hear me, for the next seven days... PLEASE SLOW DOWN. I'm loving these long days.

Road Trip

We left at 1 a.m. on Friday morning.  Pit stop for breakfast with my brother, Ryan, at the Bongo Room in Chicago. Can you guess which breakfast is mine?

I have no idea why my brother and Grandma refused to be in the picture, but here is the rest of us:

Arrived for an evening cookout in MI at 7 p.m. on Friday evening. It was a mite chilly.

Wedding at 2 p.m. (well worth the crazy road trip, I must add).

We were back in the car road tripping home at 7 p.m. in the evening.  We arrived home at 6 a.m. on Sunday morning.  Tired, but with happy memories swimming in our foggy heads.

While it was well worth it and fun/funny to be quarantined in the car with my parents, my grandma and my oldest little brother, I must admit... I'm not as young as I used to be.

My Kinda Kid

My nephew, Jasper?  He knows a good thing when he sees it.  On Saturday we were up visiting my parent's farm and after a four mile walk in flip flops my feet were killing.  I decided to soak my feet in a warm, Epsom salt bath... Jasper recognized a good idea when he saw it.  He just pulled up a chair, so to speak, and joined me.  We were just a-chillaxin'.  I love my nephews.

And here's a little something for you, Aunt Heidi:

These Fab Ladies

The boys are up at Grandpa & Grandma's farm which means that all this week (and believe me, it's been a HOT week for the first of June.) I've been going up to the pool on my lunch break and enjoying walking against the current in the lazy river.  Well these two fab ladies... they show up together and walk, too.  I'm kicking myself that I didn't get a picture yesterday, as the larger lady in the black and white striped hat was wearing an AWESOME leopard print suit with a much larger floppy hat sporting a giant pink flower.  The cut of the suit was much more flattering to her bust/cleavage and body overall yesterday, too.  They don't talk to each other or anyone else, but are obviously together.  They walk regally around the pool in their fantabulous swimsuits and large floppy hats.  Both of them wear the same shade of bright red lipstick and sunglasses.  I LOVE them.  They are like fantastic characters out of a book.  Jo, have you ever seen these ladies when you were there?  I'm curious what their story is, but maybe the ones I make up about them are more interesting.

Reason #1,000,008

This would be reason why I love my husband #1,000,008 .

That's a Mother Speaking

My favorite part of our Memorial Day weekend (other than the awesome people who made us pancakes and bacon for breakfast) was our visit to the museum.  The boys were so excited to be in the same room as a dead guy - well, Kekoa was anyway and Gavyn stayed far, far away - which just so happened to be a dead "girl":

And the samurai warrior just like on Scooby Doo:

And the snakes?  Awesome!

But Mommy's favorite part of the weekend, by far, was listening to her boys get the giggles in the IMAX 3D film, Born to Be Wild.

It all started with the closing shot in the trailer below of the monkey with the bottles:


They could not stop laughing at the baby chimpanzees and their antics.  And once they started, they couldn't stop.  If you ever get a chance to experience the Gavyn belly laugh, you'll feel your life is somehow... well...complete.  And a couple of times, I caught Kekoa reaching out to pet the chimpanzee on the screen.  It felt that "real".  So cute.  But then... that's a mother speaking.