Hannah will "tri" again!

Hannah had total confidence in the triathlon. She wasn't nervous and figured it would be "easy" after she swam a 1/2 mile with me a couple of summers ago. Biking and running? No problem - she loves to bike and her running was amazingly improved this year after we figured out why she hated sports (because she had arthritis and was always in pain!). She ran all the time in school and her times were good. So, she ventured into this new frontier with total confidence and anticipation. She got in the water and offered last-minute advice to her younger siblings, and then did a solid swim, followed by a smooth transition to the bike. She was the first of the pack off on her bike and came in right behind Hayley. She slid on her running shoes and was off on the run, which was steady and solid all the way to the finish line. She received her medal and water and at the trophy presentation, when asked if she'd do it again, she said "Yes!" with confidence. Later she said "that was FUN!" and said she would definitely "tri" again! We're considering a "team" tri or perhaps a mother/daughter event in the future. Yay Hannah!

Harrison "tris" something new!

Of all the kids, Harrison was definitely the most nervous about the triathlon. He's a worrier by nature, and having something "big" to accomplish was giving him a real case of nerves the morning of the tri. He called me in tears (I was at Jeff's event) and asked me a million questions. After reassuring him that this was just for fun and passing on some advice from Jeff when I did my first tri ("just plan to be last"), he seemed ready to go. Once we tugged and pulled him into his wetsuit (not an easy task for anyone!), he got in the water and seemed pretty confident about the swim (this after "failing" the swim test at a local pool earlier in the week!). He did great in the swim, beating two other participants out of the water. The transition took some work (and an arm tug by mom to get out of the wetsuit), but he was soon off on his bike (after tossing his towel like a sail into the air behind him), determined look on his face. He pedaled back furiously, and tossed aside his helmet. Then, he was off on the run! His cross-country training from the fall came in handy as he ran the full 1/4 mile without stopping and crossed the finish line on the heels of Arlie. He got his medal and couldn't have been prouder of his trophy! Add to that he was the ONLY boy participating, so he came in first for boys! Yeah, Harrison! When asked if he would do it again, he answered "hmmm........maybe" but he was grinning his gap-toothed grin so I think he'll be back for round two!

Arlie's first tri!

So, Arlie did her first triathlon and it was quite an experience. She did not exhibit too much nervousness beforehand.......instead she had the quiet confidence of an athlete. The swim had given her some jitters beforehand and she wasn't sure if she wanted to wear a life jacket or not. But, armed with her wetsuit, she bravely entered the waters of Duck Lake and swam around the dock. Off to the bike! Arlie peeled off her wetsuit like a pro, quickly put on her shorts and t-shirt, laced up her running shoes and, not to be outdone, donned pink plastic, sparkly sunglasses. And she was off, pedaling away on her pink bike, complete with plastic baby seat attached to the back. In what seemed like minutes, she was back for the run, stashing the bike in the rack and tossing off her helmet. Off she dashed, on Harrison's heels, and quickly pulled ahead of him. Around the baseball field and she plodded down the home stretch, out of breath and grimacing but sprinted for the finish line! Horray! She received her medal and bottle of water and collapsed on the ground, smiling but exhausted. At the trophy presentation, when asked if she would do it again, she answered a hesitant "maybe". But we know that competitive spirit won't be squelched! She'll be back!

Jeff's triathlon - he's a winner!!!

So, Jeff did his first triathlon of the summer this weekend. For those of you who don't know, a triathlon, specifically a sprint triathlon, is a race involving swimming (1/4 or 1/2 mile, depending on the race), biking (usually 12 miles) and running (a 5K)..........one right after the other. Most people couldn't complete ONE of these events, but triathletes do all three in a row. Jeff has done MANY triathlons and trains all the time. But this year he turned the big 4-0 and was lamenting his "oldness" (woe is me, I've gained 20 lbs, I'm old, my knee hurts, my arm hurts, I'm sucking wind when I run). So, the big day arrived on Saturday morning (also, in case you didn't know, these things start at an ungodly hour, this time at 7:30 a.m.!). The swim started pretty much on time and I tried as I always do to pick Jeff out of the crowd, but it's really hard when there are hundreds of swimmers all wearing the same color cap (in this case, the crowd was smaller, but it was no less difficult picking out "my" swimmer). However, I knew his swim wasn't going as well as normal when he was NOT one of the first out of the water. Eventually he did come out, and had a quick transition to the bike. Now, Jeff bikes pretty fast, so I knew I would not be waiting long. By this point, coffee-less and exhausted, I decided to have a quick nap on the grass. I was just drifting off when I heard "bikers in!" meaning some bikers had already made it back - Jeff being one of them! I snapped a few quick photos and he was off on his run (which was a bit slower and more lumbering than normal, but still steady). Not long after that, he was running for the finish! He picked up his medal and came over to me, smiling, but saying how hard it was (the run sucked, etc.). However, when I looked at his overall time, he was still pretty much in the same place he's been the past year or so. So, not bad for an "old guy" right? Well, imagine our surprise when we heard his name called for a trophy! He won second in his age group! Yay! His goal has always been to be competitive in his age group and this was the first year for him to compete in the 40-44 age group. So, props to him for bringing home a win the very first time! 40 is looking up!

Ocean Shores Big Weekend!

This weekend we traveled to Ocean Shores with our camper to participate in the "Big Weekend". This was a collection of triathlons and footraces, including the sprint tri which Jeff participated in, the kids' tri which the kids did for their very first time, and a 5K which Jeff and I did the following day. I'll give each one their due in a separate blog entry, but suffice it to say it was a fun weekend including go-kart racing, bumper cars, hanging out in the camper, watching movies, building sandcastles, and walking on the beach. A highlight was when we saw a mama deer and her baby just walking right near our campsite. We got within feet of them and then they crossed the road to the beach and went sailing over the bluff into the grass. Wouldn't you know it, I didn't bring my camera? But we have the memory! Here are some photos from the weekend.

Mommie Dearest!

Ok, so today I did something horrible. I forgot to pick up Arlie from soccer camp!! I looked at the clock at 1:15 and thought "oh, I need to leave in a few minutes to pick up Arlie" and then promptly set to doing "stuff" at my desk and then casually wandered into the kitchen where Hannah saw me and said "What time does Arlie get home?" In a panic, I looked at the clock, and realized it was already 2:00 p.m.! I dashed out the door, wondering why I had not received a call from the camp saying come and pick your kid up already. Well, when I arrived, Arlie was just kicking her soccer ball around the field. A few other kids were milling around, a few parents chatted and the coaches were having a meeting on the lower field. So, it's not like she was abandoned completely with no adult supervision.......but.........she did tell me she had started crying and not one adult had asked her if she needed help or what was wrong! I asked her why didn't she ask the coaches to use a cell phone to call me and she said she didn't want to interrupt their meeting. I felt SO horrible.......what a bad mom! I asked her if she would forgive me for being such an idiot! I've never forgotten my kids before.......well, ok there was the ONE time where I kind of forgot to pick them up at school and my friend called me and said did they need a ride. I was only ten minutes late, but again, I was doing busy work at my desk and got distracted. I guess it's not as bad as leaving my baby on top of the car in it's carseat, or forgetting to pick Arlie up at the airport, but I still felt like a dork. This might be a good argument for a cell phone for my ten year old, right? Guess this is why they call us "wicked stepmothers!"

Sun Banks Resort

For fourth of July weekend we went to Sun Banks Resort, which is on Banks Lake near the Grand Coulee Dam. The resort was nice, but loud, and had a big "party" atmosphere. The beach was great and the kids loved floating around on rafts and paddling in the inflatable boat. Georgette loved swimming and it seemed to improve her lame leg! We spent time reading, swimming, sitting in the sun, visiting with Greg and Heather and their gang (they were in a different part of the resort), and eating! For the fourth, we went to the Grand Coulee Dam and watched a laser show and fireworks show. We got there five hours early, and ended up thinking the laser show was too long (Hannah lamented "why did it have to be educational?"). The fireworks were nice, not the best show we've seen, but pretty cool. Dennis and Mary Anne visited for the fourth so it was good to see them again. Hayley brought her friend Laura along - it was her first experience camping and she loved it. I'm not sure how much she loved seeing the "uncensored" side of our family (for example the night after we had chili for dinner - phew!). I told her "what happens camping, stays in the camper!" We had a lot of laughs and the weather was great. We're looking forward to the next trip!

Happy Birthday Hayley!

Hayley turned 15 today! Time flies.........I can't believe I have a child going to high school next year! I still remember so vividly the day she was born - what I ate for dinner just before I went into labor, the drive at 5 a.m. to the hospital, the part of the labor when I grabbed Doug by the hand and said "go get that guy who was sweeping the floors out there - he can deliver my baby!" I remember the intense pain (drug-free!), and "back labor". I remember my sister's boyfriend asking me, after it was all over, "did you see God?" - ha! It was not THAT bad, but........well, ok, it was. I was sure I might die. But mostly I remember when I found out I had a little girl! I was SO excited. All my life I wanted a little girl and the realization that I now had one was amazing. I was so sure I was having a boy, I almost had a hard time conceptualizing a girl. I just remember how happy I was and I remember dressing her in her tiny, all-white outfit to bring her home. I remember walking in the door of our duplex and thinking "now what do I do?" I remember taking her out for the first time (5 days old, we went to Coco's to eat lunch and I was so paranoid about putting her down on the booth!). Now she's almost driving age. She wants a My Space. She wears eyeliner and miniskirts and texts faster than any person I know. Sigh! She's my girl. Happy Birthday Hayley!!!

Big F-ing Deal! Jeff turns 40!

I got Jeff a card today that said something along the lines of "Fun, Fabulous, Fantastic.........apparently turning 40 is a big f-ing deal!" First, minutes after I woke to greet him and wish him happy birthday, we had the "dog incident" (see last post). That sent Jeff rushing to get dressed and rush to the vet, even before he had seen his presents. Then, when he got back, we did the "present thing" and he went to work. There, they got him a pizza lunch (we also had pizza for dinner at his party!) and a few "happy birthdays". After work, we had a little party with some neighbors. He got lots of wine, cards and an REI gift card. The beer was flowing freely (in iced beer glasses no less - it's real classy around here!) and I noticed later in the evening, Jeff had moved on to Coke and..........something? Rum? Anyway, he got good and pickled and was sleeping it all off by 11. I think he's taking 40 pretty hard. But he says he's "recommitted" to living a healthy life (this after hurting his knee playing soccer, his elbow playing softball, falling off his bike - twice - and finding out his cholesteral is on the high side). You go, Jeff! I say it's about time he joined us 40 (and up) year olds!

Sad day!

Today our 6-year-old Lab, Georgette, suffered a very unusual and tragic accident! She tried to jump on our bed in the morning, missed, let out a small cry, and suddenly could not use her hind legs at all! We took her to the vet, and then the vet emergency room (where Arlie and I spent four hours!). All signs pointed to FCE, or Fibrocartiligenous Embolism. This is a situation where a dog can be acting completely normal, and after playing (or a fall, such as in her case) suddenly collapses and is unable to use their back legs. What happens is the gelatinous fluid between the disks is suddenly pushed into the arterial system in the spinal column. It is essentially a "stroke" causing paralysis and nerve damage to the affected area (usually the rear limbs). At this point, Georgette can move her front legs normally, but her back right leg is completely paralyzed and drags and her left back leg is weak. Recovery can be complete or not at all. We just have to wait and see. In the meantime, we'll be taking her with us on our camping trip. We have a sling to help her move and walk and we'll just have to keep an eye on her and give her good nursing until we see some improvement, hopefully within the next few weeks. It's very sad to see a active, happy, playful dog suddenly become handicapped, but essentially, that's what it is. We will update her progress as she hopefully improves.