triathlete

saturday was my triathlon, the woman of steel. and if you'd please excuse me, i'd like to toot my own horn here for a minute.

(my gear)

when i signed up for the triathlon i was six weeks postpartum. i had 29 pounds to lose to be at my pre-Penny weight (and another eleven after that). i could barely run a block or so. i had no clothes that fit. i was miserable in my body.

but i'd been there before, three years ago. and i know that bodies are remarkable and love to be pushed to new heights. so i set my sights really high. i've been thinking about a triathlon for years, but they seemed so...not for regular people. just for super athletes. but whatever, i just made a human so could it be harder than that?

so i trained. and trained and trained. five days a week for the last six months. it was my master and i was it's slave. it was tough. grueling. it was 5 a.m. mornings at the gym. late morning walks until i could run, pushing the girls in the (falling apart) jogger. it was swimming, biking, weights, running. it was counting every calorie i put in my mouth. it was learning new sport (and it's language). it was spending money on equipment i didn't know i need (hello biking shorts with PADDING!). it was choosing every single day that i wanted it; that i was going to make it happen. it was finding all new ways to motivate myself.

as the race approached i started to get really nervous. i felt as prepared as i could have been physically, considering where i had started. i did the entire race the saturday before at the gym. i knew i could swim 300 meters, bike 12.8 miles and then run 3 miles. but there was so much unknown. i've never done one of these and i only know four people who have. i called them and had them talk me through it again and again.

me: "are you sure i can't run into the bathroom and change into clothes after my swim?"

me: "are you sure i won't die?"

me: "what if my swimsuit rips in half?"

me: "what if i get a flat tire?"

me: "what happens if i die?"

me: "what if someone kicks me in the face while we're swimming?"

me: "what if someone faints when they see my body in all those (too) tight clothes?"

i think i was more nervous about the race than anything else i've done in a long time. i'd invested so much in training for the race, i just didn't want to blow it. i'd pictured myself crossing the finish line at least six times a day for the last six months. and if i didn't cross it, i'd be heartbroken.

devastated.

but,

i crossed finish line.

i did it.

jayson was waiting for me right over the finish line. i grabbed him, and he kept repeating to me, "i'm so proud of you. you did it. i'm so proud of you." we both cried, and the entire world melted away. in that moment it was only he and i. every once of pain and every sacrifice was worth it to feel what i felt then. it is almost indescribable. i was so proud of myself and so thankful for my body. it is a moment i will remember for the rest of my life. i kicked butt.

(my biggest fans)

of course, i didn't literally kick butt. i finished in the dead middle of the pack. that's all i wanted and all i expected. but, i did have the 14th fastest transition time at the first transition (i killed the transitions).

they had to modify the race since it was 40 degrees, raining and freezing. they switched the swim to an additional run. that wasn't my favorite, but i was also glad i didn't have to ride my bike and run wet. run, bike, run.

(joy, ryan, teresa and haylee came to cheer me on)

this race, the woman of steel was inspiring. it is an all woman triathlon and i saw ladies from all walks of life. some young, some old. some fit, some seeking to be fit. i was there alone, but many were there with friends and family. the energy was palpable. we got an email that included everyone's reason for doing the triathlon (we had to submit it with our application) and the reasons were varied; some were funny and some were heartbreaking. when i looked around during the race i knew we all had different reasons for racing, but that we were all seeking a common goal. to finish. to find some healing. to be triathletes.

and now i can count myself among them. i can call myself a triathlete.

i am a triathlete.

i am a woman of steel.

i'll never forget it.

photos

It's just been one of those weeks.

You know the kind of week I'm talking about.

But the nitty-gritty of it is that I am extremely blessed and ridiculously happy. So instead of ranting, I'd like to show you some pictures from my phone that hopefully will bring you laughter like they do for me.

Mae is quite the fashion diva. I feel that parents and kids could fight about things often--holding hands when you cross the road, not playing with the stove, etc. Since Mae is pretty strong willed, I feel that I'd rather pick my battles. So why fight about what she wears all the time?

She changes at least six times a day and comes up with the silliest outfits.





Special attention is often paid to footwear.

She did this to her shoes on the way to the aquarium.

Speaking of fashion...I see it on other babies and I think I should do it on my baby too. But really, when I try I just think it looks ridiculous. Really really ridiculous.


Jayson was in charge of baths one night. I guess he wanted to give Penny a spa experience. Mae and Jayson got out straws and gave her bubbles too. (umbrella in the bottle?!)

I ordered a few things from diapers.com, and it all game in a ginormous box. Mae slept in it for a week.


I was in the bathroom doing my business and she came in...


Bath time!


You've seen cattle trucks on the highways. But have you ever seen what is spilling out the back? Poop, all over the road.

I was trying to take a nap...and I was so rudely disturbed.


Say cheese!



Sometimes we deface government property (j dawgs sticker on a firetruck).

Once a family member said they wanted to live on an island with a mote.......uh...don't all islands kind of have a mote? So we made this individual an island with "a mote" out of playdough.

We also made people in snuggies, because everyone in this world should have a snuggie.

I saw truck's bed piled high with twinkies and ho-ho's and covered with a chain-link fence. I was utterly befuddled. What in the world would you do with millions of twinkies?

Turns out they feed them to pigs. They come from the hostess outlets' outlet (can you believe there's such a thing?). Makes you want some pork. Oink, oink!


We need to keep an eye on Mae whenever she plays with stamps. At least she found the M.


Bubble wrap!
She rules the roost!


Hungry and tired. Guess which one won?


Remember how Jayson rented an Easter Bunny suit?


Mae has always had a tendency to run around. She was trying to get out the door at church, and her dress got stuck in it. We still had a few things to take care of, so we left her there for a few minutes. We were just happy she was contained.

Will it blend? Have you seen those video's on youtube? Hilarious. We bought a blendtec and got to see the set.

Time to swim!


Lastly at Powells Books in Portland.


My girls don't lack personality...that's for sure!

I feel better already.

please play along

...(i'll explain later)...

fill in the blank:

having kids is so ____________________

Dead computer

I've been thinking about my blog a lot lately.

But my computer got the dreaded gray screen of death. Pray that we can
recover all of our data...I can't remember when I last backed up and I
have all of my little brothers mission pictures on it.

So I'm trying blogging by email. This may not turn out how I think.

Truthfully, I'm not complaining too much because no computer means
more time to nibble on these cheeks.

smooch

i can't handle it! all i want to do is smooch these girls all day!

did you know that...

i made a quiz about myself on facebook once, and one of the questions asked where i would eat my last meal. everyone besides jayson got the question wrong--they all answered my mother's house. although i love my mom dearly, my last meal would not be at her house. it would be at j dawgs. that place is so much a part of who we are. it holds so many memories. it is our first baby. and the dawgs are delicious.

i am clumsy and awkward. i was running in heels on friday and i face-planted. in front of lots of people. and i do things like that often.

i can't spell. (oh, you noticed?)

i have super sexy ankles.

one of my many flaws is i have a hard time seeing life other than the way i've lived it. i know this about myself, and i try really hard to not be this way. but living in the dorms was really good to me, so you should do it too. and going on a mission was vital to my growth and development, so you should go on one too. and having kids is amazing, so you should do it too. i know that life happens so differently for everyone...i just forget. and i'm way too vocal about my opinions. i'm trying, ok.

i love to cook. i'd do it all day, every day.

i love to try new things. especially new food.

i have a temper. and i'm impatient.

i want to go back to school someday. social work, culinary school, or sociology as it relates to food.

i hate scary movies.

i want 2-4 more children.

my goal in life is to live (for at least one year) where i can have an avocado and mango tree. hopefully hawaii.

i love to read, but i'm a horrible reader. i rarely finish books. i started a book club to remedy this. it only works about 50% of the time.

i never want to move. i love my home and my neighborhood. but...1270 square feet, 4-6 kids, and no back yard might be tough.

when we outgrow our house, i want to move somewhere new and different. a place where people have funny accents, and where i can have chickens and at least an acre of land.

i used to have blond short hair. now i have brown long hair. i get a lot of blank stares from people i haven't seen in a long time.

i'm a very goal oriented person. that is why i signed up for a triathlon--because i knew that i would exercise consistently and thus lose weight. it doesn't work for me to "try to lose weight." i had to have an end goal.

i want to go with jayson to australia, italy, and england. and hawaii every year. i need more skymiles.

i have a hard time incorporating prints into my wardrobe.

i had lasik. twice.

i'm missing four permanent teeth. my mouth was too small for my teeth (ironic, since i have such a big mouth).

i struggle balancing raising my children and fulfilling my personal needs and wants. and i'm not saying the kids always win.

i'd buy toilet paper if apple or honda made it.

i want to be more in harmony with the earth. recycling, composting, gardening, riding my bike, etc.

i'd like snow if it only happened for a month and then warmed up. or if i never had to leave my house.

if i don't leave my house, i quickly get into a slump. i need people. i need sunshine.

i get carsick.

i have a stomach of steel. i rarely throw-up. but when i do, it is because i'm violently ill...if you catch my drift.

my favorite shows are LOST, modern family, biggest loser, psych, and the office. i'll be glad when lost is done because this is too much t.v. for me to keep up with.

i love sweets. ice cream is my favorite and pie is my least favorite. followed closely by cake. unless it's a bundt cake. i love bundt cake.

shopping is my therapy.

i am blessed far more than i deserve. i feel like that talking heads song..."you might find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife (husband) and you may ask yourself, well how did i get here?"

how did i get here?

sisters