Ironman Wisconsin Pictures-Part 2 Run-Finish Line

I worked a water station with some Army National Guard members. Here I am with my new friends Nic and Chris. Nic will be doing the Ironman next year. Nic and Chris in action. #3 1st place male Chris McDonald 1st place female-Hilary Biscay Everyone was commenting on Hilary's gait, so I got a picture of it. She would kick her leg out. When she was running across the finish line it was much more pronounced. And just a word to the lady across the street from me at the water station. You thought it was ok to make fun of the athletes out there, as soon as they passed you, including how Hilary Biscay runs. I'd like to see you do an Ironman. Heck, I'd like to see you do a sprint, honey. Are you perfect? Nobody is, but at least they are out there trying. You really got on my last nerve. And if I'm out there someday and I hear you making fun of me I'll take that Gatorade from you, but it won't be to drink. You'll be wearing it. Next time think twice before making fun of someone else. For those of you who know me, this is not like me at all, but this lady made fun of at least 8 athletes that I heard. I did say something to her when she made fun of Hilary, but it didn't matter. I just had to vent. Here I am at the water station. I think this picture is funny cause I was about to leave and all the sudden I reallized I didn't have a picture of myself, so I have my bag over my shoulder and am so posing. Too funny! I headed to the finish line to watch the pros come in before my shift at the finish line. I arrived right as the 1st place male crossed the finish line. Here is the 2nd place male #16. What is cool about him is that I got to body mark him. You know that is why he did so well. :-) Here is the first place age grouper coming in. He came in at 9 hours and 6 minutes and 56 seconds. I got to meet his family on the bus ride back from the biking loop. When I saw him on the bike he was winning the race. He came in 8th overall. Here comes Hilary Biscay down the home stretch. I'm so glad I got to see her finish. I was rooting for her all day. She got passed on the run, but came back in mile 25 to finish it. Go Hilary. This camera man hopped of a motorcycle to film something and I thought he looked funny like out of a space movie of soemthing. This is the first picture I took after starting my shift at the finish line. I wore my camera around my neck for my whole 6 hour shift so I wouldn't miss a thing. This is my new friend MichaelHennessey. He was the one running in the cowboy hat. This was his 13th Ironman this year. He is on his way to breaking the Guiness World Record of 14. He is a father of 6 kids all 8 and under. He is doing this to raise awareness for kids who are born with Trisomy 13 and 18. Most of you have heard of Trisomy 21 aka Down Syndrome. Most people including myself have not heard of Trisomy 13 and 18. These are children who are born with an extra 13th or 18th chromosone. Most parents are encouraged to abort their child before they are ever born. Michael and those parents of these children are trying to raise awareness so that parents have more choices. From what I have read most of the children born with trisomy 13 and 18 do not live past their 1st birthday, but their families say that this child has taught them more about life in their short lives than anything else ever could have. If you would like more information about Michael's cause check out his website at www.ironmanforkids.com He also has links there so you can find out more about these precious children and their wonderful families. I had the priviledge of giving my friend Chris his medal. Chris aka Clyde (check out his blog The Clyde on my list of blogs I read) I am so proud of you and am so happy I had the honor of medaling you. You did awesome. Here is Chris' first picture as an Ironman. Great job out there. I made some great friends while volunteering. Here is my buddy Ken and Katherine. Here are a couple of cheeseheads. The person who gave her her medal tried to put it on over the cheesehead. :-) Here is Ken in action. Way to go Ken. Here is the oldest man to finish the Ironman. He was 74. Ken and his babes. Actually they were friends from his tri club. Next year Ken will be doing the Ironman and I cannot wait to see him at the finish line.

Check out this video. She was dancing to YMCA across the finish line. FUN!!
Getting down to the last 20 minutes of the race. Watching the clock tick down. Will the last athlete make it? I had the honor of putting the medal on the last athlete. Here name is Caroline Schnog and she finished it in 16 hours 59 minutes and 56 seconds. She finished with 4 seconds to spare. The cutoff is 17 hours no exceptions. I am so happy she made it. My friend Chris came back to watch the last athletes and he said with 14 seconds to go she was worrying about getting her kids so that they could run across the finish line with her. Chris said he was SCREAMING, "JUST RUN. JUST RUN." Her daughter was able to cross the finish line with her. :-) Caroline's daughter, I'm so proud of your Mom. She rocks!! It was important for me to put on her medal as I am usually last at my events and I wanted to personally congratulate her because I am so inspired by her that she never gave up even when I'm sure she wanted to. I will remember her when I am struggling at my future events. Way to go Caroline. You rocked it and you, my friend, are an IRONMAN!! The race is over. As you can see the clock says 17 hours 1 minute. They were already tearing down the finish line. Good Night Madison. Good Night Ironman. I'll see you all next year.

NEVER FORGET

Take time to remember those who lost their lives in New York on September 11. Please remember those families who lost loved ones.

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. NEVER FORGET!!

Ironman Wisconsin Pictures Part 1 Saturday-Swim

The sign says it all. Wahhoooo!!

This is the transition 1 room. On Saturday I helped all the athletes check in their gear. This is an important job because if the bag is put in the wrong place or misplaced altogetherit can mess up a whole year of training for these athletes.

When I was cutting through the male changing room I saw this sign and it made me laugh.

This is the room that I helped in. It is the transition 2 room. This is when the athlete's are coming in from the bike and heading out to the run. See how empty it is.

This is my friend Larry. We met through an active.com message board about 2 years ago. We have emailed off and on since. This is our first time meeting in person. He has severe asthma and had to teach himself to swim. He overcame a lot to get to the Ironman. He did awesome.

Larry here is the sign I made you. I still do not know how I ended up with the wrong number. Oops.

Here I am meeting my friend Chris aka The Clyde. We have never met in person either. We follow each other's blogs. This is our first time meeting. Check out his blog at www.theclydesdaletrot.com A Clydesdale or Athena in triathlon is a heavier triathlete. A Clydesdale is the men weighing in over 200 and the women are called Athenas who weigh over 150 I believe. We now call Chris IronClyde or at least I do.

Here's the sign I made him. Clyde, did you see it out there?

Check out this awesome volunteer. I hear she is there every year. Her son ran the race. I'm already planning what I can wear next year or how to do my hair.

Here is the T2 room after it was full and after we had checked to make sure every bag was in numerical number. We closed and locked the doors at 3pm. All the athletes knew this well in advance and I had to turn away some very mad athletes.It ends up one door didn't get locked. The room opened the next day at 5am so it wasn't like we were turning them away from the whole race. I held the door open a little bit to tell them they had to come back and one athlete put his foot in the door and was pulling to open it, but I held my own and said in a very firm voice, "SIR, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LET GO OF THE DOOR AND WAIT FOR MY TEAM CAPTAIN." Anoter man would not step back and was right in my face and I had to say to him, "SIR, YOU ARE GIONG TO HAVE TO STEP OUT OF THE ROOM. I WILL GET MY CAPTAIN." He sighed and obliged and in the end we won. They came back at 5am. After that the door got locked.

After volunteering I got to meet up with some of my fellow bloggers none of which I had ever met in person. The person I was eager to meet the most was Megan. Check out her blog at www.projectprocrastination.blogspot.com Her boyfriend is Kyle aka cheese His blog, when he blogs is at www.startingnextmonday.blogspot.com Just don't read his while eating. :-) Also, met Erin and her almost hubby Aaron. Her blog is at www.erinslongandwindingroad.wordpress.com and met another Erin a few weeks ago through our blogs and volunteered at two stations together. Her blog is at www.wipaddler.blogspot.com. Another lovely couple I met was Bob and Gay. His blog is www.teambrazo.blogspot.com. It was a great dinner. Make sure to check out all these awesome people's blogs. They rock!!

RACE DAY!!! WAHOOOOO!!
Here we are getting ready to mark some bodies.

Here I am marking a body. He was a good sport about it.

Here is the sunrise over the swimming area. The calm before the storm.

Here are the pros.

Here is everyone else.

There was a hot air balloon that went over the lake. You can see the swimmers too. It was pretty.

On my way to watch the atheletes get out of the water I got to see this pro heading out on his bike.

This was the most fun to watch. When the athletes get out of the water there are teams of volunteers there to rip their wetsuits off of them.
Here is Larry's family anxiously waiting for Larry to exit the swim. He had a wonderful support team. His wife is in the cowboy hat. The way I found them was when I was watching the swim someone walked by in a bright yellow shirt and it said LARRY SCHULTZ on it. I jumped down and asked her if it was the same Larry Schultz I was cheering for and it was. She took me to where his family was, so I got to meet them. They are wonderful.

Here is Larry waving to us on the way to T1. I also saw Chris exit the water, but he was way on the other side and I couln't get a pic. Way to go guys. You rocked the swim.

Here is Larry waving to us as he was heading to his bike.

I went out to the Verona Bike Loop and got to see the pros whizzzz by. There were also a couple of age groupers not far behind the first few pro bikers. Amazing.

I had an amazing weekend as you can tell. I will post pictures tomorrow from the run and my time working the finish line. I handed out medals for 6 hours. It was AMMMMAZING.

Ironman Breakfast

I'm at my hotel and crawled out of bed to go get some breakfast before crawling back in bed before driving home. I just met a 22 year old kid who did his first Ironman yesterday. I asked him how he did and he said, "9:15" I said, "Oh, you crossed the finish line at 9:15pm?" He said, "No, I finished in 9 hours and 15 minutes." My jaw is still dropped. The first pro to cross the finish line did it in 8:43, so this kid was only 32 minutes behind the professional leader. Crazy!!!! I'm so impressed with these athletes. I am impressed with the pros who are like living machines and I'm impressed with the lady that crossed the finish line with seconds to spare. I'm also impressed with everyone in between. There was an 80 something year old man named Frank who has done this for years. This year he only planned to dothe swim and succeeded. I say only, but when I'm 80 something will I be able to swim 2.4 miles in 2 hours? I don't think so. Well, maybe we'll see. :-)

Breakfast was great. I got to meet this kid named Jason and talk to 2 other Ironmen. Man, I'm so glad I got up for breakfast.
Gotta run and catch some zzzzz's.

Ironman Wisconsin Part 2

Here is my day in a nutshell cause I'm so exhausted.
-woke up at 3:30am and started body marking athletes at 4:45am even though we were not supposed to start until 5:00. I marked two pros. #16 came in 2nd place. #22 lives one town over from me.
-watched the swim start. AMAZING
-went down by the swim finish and saw my friend Larry and Chris (The Clyde-his blog is Clydesdale Trot) finish. It is hilarious to watch the volunteers strip the wetsuits off the athletes. If I didn't have a bad back I would love to do the job.
-went and watched my friend Larry come out of Transition and run to get his bike.
-Hopped on a bus and rode it to the Verona Loop to watch the professional bikers.
-Worked a run station. That was so cool!!
-Watched the Pros cross the finish line. 1st place male finished in 8 hours and 43 minutes.
-volunteered at the finish line handing out medals. Did that from 6pm-Midnight. I got to put the medal on the last athlete. She almost didn't make it. No one was left out on the course.
-now I am tired and heading to bed.
_more to come later.

Ironman Wisconsin Part 1

-woke up at 4:30 this morning. Left at 5:30am
-drove to Madison Wisconsin for an 8:00 volunteer meeting
-Went to said meeting
-Got my t-shirts. They have a cute cow on them.
-Went to Gear Bag Check in for my first volunteer shift.
-Helped from 9:00am-4:00pm checking in people's gear bags in Transition 2. For those of you who don't know what that means, it is the place where the atheletes come in after they bike and get their gear they need for their run.
-met two of my friends who are doing an Ironman for the first time. We have only been online friends, but now met in person.
-met up with about 6 other bloggers and their spouses or boyfriends for dinner. I only knew 2, but it was like we all knew each other by the end of the night.
-headed to my hotel.
-am going to bed. I report for duty at 4:30am for my next shift. I will do bodymarking. That means I will be writing athlete's #'s on their arms and calves.
-then I work a run station
-then I work the finish line. i will be working it when my two friends should finish and I will be able to put their medals around their necks. :-)
Stay tuned for more Ironman Wisconsin Coverage from a Volunteer's eyes.

Henry David Thoreau Quotes

This evening I went to Starbucks to study again and this time I was reading Henry David Throeau. I was reading exerpts from his work entitled WALDEN, or LIFE IN THE WOODS. I was reading chapter 18, which is entitled CONCLUSION. This was the last chapter and my teacher asked us to pick a line or two out of the piece and say why it meant a lot to me.

Lately I have been pondering my dreams and goals and trying to figure out why I cannot reach some of them.

Here are the quotes that spoke to me:

"That if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected."

I also like this one:

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."

The first one really had me thinking why don't I advance confidently in the directions of my dreams? I don't because I let negative self talk get in the way. I let temptations creep back into my life. I try to do everything on my own without calling on God. I need to have faith in myself and the confidence to do what I want to do. Whether it's get my teaching degree, lose over 100 pounds, do a Half Ironman, or write children's books. I need to walk with my head high, not listen to my negative talk or the negative talk of others, I will meet with success unexpected.

The second quote I love. I have built so many castles in the air. I have mentioned them in the last paragraph. Now alll I need to do is get those foundations built. I need to first have my foundation be built on my relationship with Christ. I attend weight watchers and am losign weight. That is my foundation for my weight loss castle. I am starting to set up my training plans so I can do my Half Ironman Triathlon. I am almost done setting up the foundation to my teaching castle and I will write a children's book someday. I will build my foundations to reach those castles in the sky.

Thanks Hanry David Thoreau for writing these thoughts and giving me something to chew on tonight at Starbucks.


Speaking of Starbucks something happend tonight that I found odd. I was at the side counter where people mix their drinks getting a napkin. I saw a lady doing some crazy concoction with her drink, so I was asking her about what she was doing and she was explaining it to me. I noticed the man with her walked away. I got my napkin and thanked her for letting me bother her. The man walked back over and said, "That's ok. Anyone who is reading WALDEN is a friend of ours." I said thanks and walked away.

The only way he knew that was to walk over to my book that was open by my computer and see what I was reading. My table was about 6 feet away. He had to make a conscience effort to figure that out. I don't really mind that he did it, but that just seemed odd to me. That's all.

Also, I am putting my comment link back on my blog. Feel free to comment. I just needed a break to figure the whole blog thing out. Thanks for understanding and thanks to those of you that have emailed me comments.

Auditions are done and so is my Weigh-in

Parker did a great job auditioning on Friday night. He made mommy so proud. He sung his heart out and then went and learned a dance and rocked it. He was very nervous and even told me at one point he had flutters in his stomach. :-)

They just posted the cast list about 5 minutes ago. Parker was cast as a Gosling and as the voice of a baby spider.

The opening night is October 24 and the show will run for two weekends. They will be doing two days of school shows, so that should be fun. He actually gets out of school that day. :-) He's happy about that. If you would like to see him in his first major theatrical debut you can buy tickets at www.cytchicago.org or you can email me and I can get you tickets. October 25th is the family show where tickets are discounted. Just let me know.

This year they will be reading Charlotte's Web in school, so he is very excited to be in the play.

We prayed about this audition and talked about how God would put him in the exact role that was meant for him. He just wanted to make it and is very happy. There were kids from age 8 all the way to 18 trying out, so he knew that he probably wouldn't get a lead. He has a great attitude about it.

I will keep you posted.

In other news, I weighed in at Weight Watchers yesterday and lost 2.2 pounds bringing my weight loss back up to 14.8. Feels good to be losing again. :-) I also went to the gym for the first time in about 9 weeks. I finished my physical therapy on Thursday. I have not had to wear my boot and so the first chance I had I was back in the gym. It's amazing what 9 weeks out of comission can do to a persons body. I did an hour of cardio and did pretty well, but could tell I'm out of shape. I cannot wait to get back on my bike now. I"m going for a ride today or tomorrow. I'm taking it pretty easy this first week to make sure I do not reinjure my leg.

Gotta run for now.

Parker's first audition

Parker is part of a theatre group called Christian Youth Theatre (CYT).
He did one of their summer camps in 2007 and we have not been able to sign him up for a class because it is a big committment. He has wanted to sign up for classes for awhile now and try out for their productions. We have told him no several times because of time contraints. This has been really hard because we know he is talented and this is his passion. At age 3 he told us his gift from God was his voice. As parents we have had to decide how long do you say no to something your child is passionate about, how long do you put off his passion.

Last year we signed him up for voice lessons. He goes once a week. He will continue them again this year. We love his teacher and she is right in Wauconda. :-)This summer he did another theatre camp. We finally decided that we would let him sign up for a class and try out for a production at CYT. This works out because I am not student teaching until January. If I was student teaching right now I would not be able to do it.

Last night was his first class. He is taking a Dance class. He never has. He was a little nervous because there is only one other boy in his class, but he came out at the break and said, "Mom, we are learning a hip hop routine to a Jonas Brother song." He was pumped.

Auditions are this Friday. He is trying out for Charlotte's Web. He has 1 minute to sing, dance, act, or whatever else he can to show his stuff. He is going to sing one minute of GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME from High School Musical. He will be dancing to it while he sings.

After the singing audition he goes in with about 9 other kids to learn a quick dance. I think they have 10 minutes to learn it and then have to perform it for the judges. I think he will do fine. Early Saturday Morning they post online if he gets called back, and then Sunday they post online if he has been cast or not. This will be an anxious weekend for him. It is his first real audition. He auditioned at church for a musical, but everyone that auditioned got a part. So, this his first real one where he may or may not make it. He is very talented, but what I keep telling him is you never know what the directors are looking for when they are watching you.

Please pray for him this weekend. Please pray for us as this is going to take up the whole fall schedule. Pray that Tricia will be understanding because a lot of focus will be on Parker. In fact, if he makes the show, opening night is on her birthday. We already had planned to go out to dinner and take her to see High School Musical 3 with friends. She is doing ok with it now, but pray that her attitude stays good. Pray for me as I will be the one that has to drive him everywhere and parents have to committ to serve 25 hours if your child is in the play. Just pray for us in general as we take on this adventure.

Watch out Broadway. Here comes Parker.

Ironman Wisconsin

Only 11 days until I volunteer at the Ironman Wisconsin.
I am excited. I am checking in gear on Saturday.
Sunday I will be doing body marking, working a run station, and giving out finisher's medals. I will then stay until Midnight on Sunday to cheer for every last athlete out there. I cannot wait.

If you will be in Wisconsin competeing or volunteering let me know. There are some of us here in blogger world getting together for dinner. I cannot wait to meet you all after getting to know you online.

Please email me and let me know if you are coming.
mommymeepa@aol.com

Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

I am writing an essay on two of Ralph Waldo Emerson's works. I have found some quotes that I like.

-"What I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think."

side note: As a Christian I would add to this saying that all that matters to me is what Christ thinks. So many times it is easy to fall into the trap of worrying about what others think or trying to figure out why someone did something. All I need to focus on is what I need to do and whether or not it is bringing glory to God and what He thinks. If I can just apply this to my life everyday things would be so much easier.

-"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

-"To be great is to be misunderstood."

-"Insist on yourself. Never imitate."

side note: Emerson writes a lot about how in our education we imitate a lot and rely on the past, so that is where this quote comes from. It's such a simple quote and it got me thinking about what do I imitate and what should I be imitating and it kept bringing me back to God. I am made in His image and need to imitate Him as much as possible in my everyday life.

-"They (man) measure their esteem of each other, by what each has, and not by what each is."

side note: In our society so often we talk about what we own, what kind of job we have, what kind of car we drive, where we took our latest vacation, and how educated we are. It is easy to focus on what we have and this quote was a great reminder to me that I need to be focusing on what a person is rather than what they have. I have never been a very materialistic person, but it was still a great reminder to me.

All of these quotes were taken from the essay Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Hope you enjoyed them.

No more procrastination for me

I wrote about procrastination the other day and it is something that is hard for me to figure out the reason I do it, but I have come up with a plan. Before I watch TV, read blogs,talk on the phone, or check email I will do what needs to be done on my TO DO list. I know this might seem like a no brainer, but this is what I need to do.

So For Now:

NO TV (and that means Olympics too)
NO EXCESS PHONE TALKING (sorry Cindy and Dar)
NO READING BLOGS, NO WRITING BLOGS, NO CHECKING EMAIL (Except my college account) and no FACEBOOK

Until I:

READ MY BIBLE AND PRAY
DO HOMEWORK
WORK AROUND THE HOUSE
WORK OUT
and
EAT FIVE SERVINGS OF FRUIT AND VEGGIES


Gotta Run!!! There's homework to be done!!

Facebook

I told myself I would never join MYSPACE or FACEBOOK, but a lot of people told me I should. So after hearing it a bunch of times I took the plunge this week and joined FACEBOOK. It's been interesting and have already found some elementary school friends of mine. I think I will be primarily using it to show off pictures, but I cannot do anything for awhile because I do not want it to take time away from my homework.

Email me and let me know how you use facebook. Is it to mainly find friends, share pictures?

Procrastination

I have always had a problem with procratination.
It has really been bothering me lately especially today. I have put off some things that I shouldn't have and it is causing some problems for me now. It will be ok in the end, but I'm tired of always having to put pressure on myself in the end to get things done.
I want to know why I procrastinate. I want to know what causes me to do it. Why haven't I learned by now that procrastination just leads to big headaches and that I don't do better under pressure?
I will ponder on this and try and figure it out tomorrow.

WW UPDATE and LEG UPDATE

Well, I went to Weight Watchers today and had a 2 pound gain. I have been on vacation, to a wedding, and really busy. I know those are not good excuses, but I just have been eating out way to much. I am glad this weigh in is behind me. I was going to skip it, but I need to go for accountability. It does not help when I avoid the truth, so the truth is I gained 2 pounds. That is all there is to it. It's behind me and I am just looking forward to a new week.

I went to physical therapy yesterday. I am almost done. Only 2 more weeks. YAHHHOOOO!! I talked to the doctor breifly and he said I can start weaning myself off of my boot. And for those of you who might have read that wrong I did not say booze. LOL He also said I can start working out again, but to take it slowly. I am so happy. I have worn that boot for almost 7 weeks now. I didn't wear it today to weight watchers and it was weird. It is so nice to be able to walk again without a limp. :-)

Tricia is not as lucky as me. She just got cleared on Tuesday that she was done with Physical Therapy on her left knee. Well a day later her right knee started hurting and she now has Osgood Schlatter's Disease in her right knee. She is handling it very well. She has 4 more weeks of physical therapy and then we will see how she is doing. She started this whole journey the end of May. She ended school with a NO GYM note and she will be starting school with a NO GYM note. Poor thing. Like I said she is handling it well. In fact she is handling it a lot better than I am. Once school starts some of her PT appointments have to be at 7 in the morning so she doesn't miss school. UGH. We will get through this. It's just going to be a lot of crazy scheduing for us. But God does not give us more than we can handle, so we will be fine and we give Him the glory through all of these trials. I keep praising him that our handicaps are temporary and that we will be healed. Thank you Lord for that.

Goals for the rest of this week

This picture really has nothing to do with this post, but I loved the picture.

Thursday (Goals are in no particular order)

-Go to the gym
-Read 5 more chapters in "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
-Do a lesson in my literature class
-Read my Bible


Friday

-Do another lesson in literature class
-Read my Bible
-Go for a walk or go to the gym
-Work on the house
-Read 5 more chapters in "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

Saturday

-Read my Bible
-Go to Weight Watchers NO MATTER WHAT
-Go to the gym
-Read 5 more chapters in "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
-Read of next lesson in literature class

I am really good at setting goals and not so good at following through. TV is usually what gets in my way and now with the olympics on I'm constantly distracted. I need the next few days to be productive, so I am not going to turn on the Olympics much. TIVO is a great thing.

I am reading "Uncle Tom's Cabin" right now. It is for a class, but it is a great book. I have only read 10 chapters, but it is really good. It will give you a new perspective on slavery. I was in tears today reading it. It is a long book, but I would suggest it.

I have really let myself go within the last week as far as my eating has gone. I did pretty well in Utah and the such, but just haven't paid much attention to my eating lately. If I want to do longer distances in my races and such I need to get my act together. UGH!! Why is this so hard sometimes. I can do this and I want to do this. Hang in there girl, you can do it.

Let's see how I do with these goals. I know that I can do it. I just need to stay focused and away from the TV.

MELISSA, STEP AWAY FROM THE TV.

Blog thoughts

On my trip to Utah I got to have lunch with two of my favorite bloggers, Benny and Nytro. We started talking about our blogs and blogs in general. Why do we blog? Who are we blogging for? what happens when we see a lot of comments of none at all?

I started my blog in 2005 when I went away for 5 weeks to a fitness camp. I had a lot of friends and family who wanted updates and I did not want to email everyone indivdually, so HERE'S TO A HEALTHIER was born.

My last day of camp I decided to do a sprint tri summer of 2006, so I kept my blog going. I wrote about my family, my life, and my health journey. Along the way I have met some incredible people. It has been amazint, but lately I have been struggling with the whole blog thing. Some of my friends have gone private with their blogs, which I am not going to do, but I am going to disable my comments. Some days I am bummed to see no comments, thrilled when I see some comments and thrilled when I get over 5 or even in the double digits. I often start to wonder what can I write to make more people read and comment on my blog. That's when I started asking myself who I am really writing this blog for? Is it for me or my readers? Lately, it has been more for my readers, not me.

A few of my blogger friends have now gone private with their blogs, some have quit blogging all together, and some are just starting again with blogging for themselves. So from here on out I blog for me. Read along if you woud like and I would love you too. If you would like to comment please feel free to email me. Most of you that read my blog know my email address. If not you can go into my pfofile and find it there.

I am at the beginning of a journey to lose 130 pounds and training to do a 1/2 Ironman in 2011. I would love you along for the journey, but the person I need to do this for the most is me, so that is who I will be focusing on now in my blog.

I will be focusing on my relationship with God, my family, my helath, my fitness goals, my friends, my house, my education, and my happiness.

So for right now it's all about me baby!!

I cannot wit to see what is going to happn!!

Here's to a new blogging me!! Cheers!!

So proud of our soldiers

I always write about our American Soldiers at Memorial Day and Vetern's Day. That's not a bad thing, but I decided that I need to write about our soldiers today.

I was at the airport waiting for my flight to Utah and there were soldiers wating for a flight. I have taught my kids since they could talk that they need to thank soldiers for serving our country, so as soon as we approached the gate my daughter said, "Mom soldiers." They were sitting in groups of three and three guys were by sitting by themselves. She walked up to the two groups of three and thanked them and walked up to one of the other guys and thanked him. I shook aplll of their hands. I just had such a sense of pride today when thanking them. I was watching them. They were all so young. Laughing having fun just hanging out waiting to come or go. I'm not sure which way they were going.

I talked to a soldier once that said at anytime you are out on the field you know that at anytime you might have to save your fellow soldiers life. He said that it really makes you get close. That you do become brothers. It was so obvious to me that these young men were brothers.

While they were waiting a little boy walked up to them. I wish I could have taken his picture. He was in awe. He kept looking up and down at their uniforms. He was smiling and talking to them, asking them questions. He had them all smiling and he posed for pictures with 6 of them. They were still talking about it when he walked away.

I got to board the plane in the first group, so I got to watch everyone board. When the soldiers walked by I was joking with them and it was a lot of fun. I had them all laughing. I heard someone else thank them. It was wonderful. My dear sweet hubby got me a first class ticket while he and the kids were in coach, so I went back to say hi to them and noticed every single soldiers were all asleep. They were out. They looked so exhausted.

It got me thinking how proud of am I am. These are all sons, brothers, husbands, uncles, cousins, and friends. They sacrifice so much, but they never complain. In fact when my friend was injured in Iraq he was counting the days until he could get back. I do not know if that is how I would have reacted. As soon as he was able he did go back. The men and women of the armed forces have my greatest respect and I appreciate all that they sacrifice to make our country what it is, the best country in the world.

No matter where you are politically, whether you want our troops out of Iraq or to stay in Iraq. Whatever you think of George W. or the new presidential candidates, please remember our soldiers. Some of them have told me they feel like we care more about the politics then them. They need our support no matter what we think. These boys at the airport reminded me of that. I need to be doing more than I already am, so I signed up to support two soldiers in Iraq. I would encourage you to do the same.

When we sign up for a soldier we use www.operationmilitarypride.org

We have done this and are still friends with our soldiers that we supported years ago. Please consider doing this. It will change your life. The soldiers I have supported in the past told me they always liked the packages, but what meant the most were the letters. Pictures that my kids drew ended up being hung in a palace that used to be Saddam's. When I would send my soldier birthday presents I would sent treat bags for all his guys. It is so much fun!! If you sign up let me know how it goes. I would love to hear the stories.

I know that our country is going through a hard time. We are all paying a lot of gas, our homes, food, and this election coming up is huge, but if you can put this aside and think of all the wonderful things our country has to offer. Think of all the opportunities we have, all the priviledges we have, and all of our freedoms and remember the men and women in the military past and present that have helped make this the greatest country in the world.

To everyone that has served, is serving, and will serve thank you very much. I appreciate you and all you have done and will do. I thank God for my country and my freedom all the time and do not take it for granted. Thank you so much.

Heading to Utah

The happy family and I are heading to Utah today for our final vaca of the summer. Keith has a conference there and the kids and I do not. When Keith is not at the conference we will be attending themed dinners. We will be having OktoberFest, A Mountain man dinner outside in the mountains with TeePees, Native Americans, and Mountain men for entertainment, and the one I am looking forward to the most having dinner in the Olympic Stadium and having Olympic athletes entertain us. The kids get to go to them all except OktoberFest. There will be time for some hiking and fishing as well. The kids will be part of a day camp while there. They will get to ride a mechanical bull, ride the ski lift to the top of the mountain, a zip line, and go down an alpine slide. It is a concrete slide built into the side of the mountain that you ride a little sled down. I've done that when I was younger. It is a blast. The kids are looking forward to all their activities and I am looking forward to time with the family.

One thing that I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, looking forward to is that I will get to meet two of my favorit bloggers while in Utah. Benny and Nytro live close enough to the Snowbird ski resort (where we are staying) that we are able to get together for lunch on Sunday. Benny (www.ironbenny.blogspot.com) and Nytro (www.lifeisnuts.blogspot.com) have been so encouraging to me in my journey. I do not think they even know how much, so I am excited to be able to tell them in person. I have met some of my triathlon blogging buddies in the past and it is really neat to finally meet the people in person that you have come to know so well online. I'll let you know how it goes. :-)

On another note, I reinjured my leg yesterday at home and now have to have another month of the boot and physical therapy. I'm very frustrated, but realize that this too shall pass. I realize how blessed I am that I do not have to deal with being handicapped on a daily basis for the rest of my life just for a short time.

I get back on the 6th and will try and post pictures as soon as I can.

Be good to yourself and each other. :-)

Weight Watchers Update

Today I went to Weight Watchers with no real expectations. I had a stressful week and did not eat my fruits and veggies like I should, so I went in just knowing I might have a gain and I was actually ok with that because I was able to evaluate what went wrong and make a plan for this coming week.

The outcome is I stayed exactly the same and boy am I happy with that, so I am still at 14.6 pounds lost. YEAH!!

I am not going to WW next week because I will be in UTAH, but I will be back after that. I have decided that unless I am out of town I will never miss another meeting again. These last three meetings have been a big eye opener for me and have really helped me with my morale in my journey.

I will let you know how it goes. GO ME!!!!

I met Debbie Downer Today!!

So, Today I went to Denny's for breakfast and to get some reading in for my homework. I had my weight watchers journal out and was tracking everything and asking the waitress some information about what I was going to order, got sugar free syrup, and fruit insead of hashbrowns and did not even eat everything I got. Boy, am I on a roll with this eating right stuff now. :-)

After about the 4th question to the waitress she asked me what I was doing and I told her I write everything down because I am losing weight. She asked me how and I told her I was on Weight Watchers. I told her I had lost almost 15 pounds on it.

Here's how the rest of the conversation went:

DD (Debbie Downer): Yeah, well I lost over 40 on it. I'm just telling ya now when you lose all the weight you want and you go off the proram you are going to gain it all back and then some. It was a pretty good program when it worked, but you just wait you'll see.

Me: Well, I am sorry to hear that, but my Weight Watcher's leader has lost almost 100 pounds and has kept it off, but he has continued on the program and still tracks all that he eats. It's on ongoing journey.

DD: I'm sure that's true if the program works for you, but it just didn't work for me. I hope you have better results, but you just wait and see. GOOD LUCK (said in a just wait and see kind of way, not a nice way).

Me: Thanks. You too. (Smiling and proud of myself that I did not throw any food at her)

I finished eating and reading and headed up to the cashier to pay. DD decided to follow me.

DD: So what happened to you? (Pointing at my leg)

Me: I ripped my calf muscle.

DD: So what are you doing for it? How long are you in that thing?

After the above conversation I was not that excited to answer her, but I fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

Me: I've been in it for 2 weeks and have another 1 1/2 to go and am in physical therapy three times a week.

DD: Ohhhh Physical therapy huh? I had knee surgery 4 years ago and I did that Physical therapy thing. That was a waste of my time. All they do it tell you to do stuff 20 times and then walk away. They don't even check to see if you are really doing it. I could have told myself what to do. What a joke Physical Therapy is. Obviously it doesn't work cause it is 4 years later and I'm still in pain.

Me: I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better soon. I'm waiting to see what they tell me next week as far as mine goes.

Cashier: (quietly): You want to put a tip on here?

Me to Cashier: I left it on the table, thanks.

What I really wanted to say to cashier:
Give my waitress this tip: Quit being such a downer. I'm leaving here wanting to binge because according to her I will always be fat cause WW doesn't work and I might as well give up on healing my leg cause PT sucks and in 4 years I'm gonna be in pain anyway. So there's your tip for you. (Totally said with scarcasm. I did not go home and binge. That was said in jest. Don't worry I'm fine.)

I always consider myself a "the glass is half full" kinda girl and it actually saddens me when I meet people like this. I wanted to ask her what makes her happy. What makes her heart go pitter pat during the day? What is her passion or did she lose that along that way with her WW journey and her bad PT? It made me realize how truly blessed I am and reminded me why I surround myself with Debbie Uppers and not Debbie Downers. Thanks everyone for always encouraging me, making me laugh, and loving me. I couldn't do it without you.

Library Pet Peeves of the Day

When people are yelling at their kids in the library to be quiet and they volume in which they are yelling is much louder than the child's volume in the first place.

I also can't stand when people clip their nails in the library. Ewwww Gross!!

I'm off to get the kids from daycamp and study at home now. YEAH!!

Major Breakthrough :-)

Well, I wrote about my light bulb moment last week well it worked. I worked really hard watching what I ate and even made it to the gym one day. I did an upper body workout and while there and major breakthrough. I was working out and looking around the gym. It was not the normal YMCA I was at and they had motivational posters around. Each one spoke to me. I cannot remember what they said, but it was what I needed to read. I also remember the day when having a ripped calf muscle and a boot on would have totally given me reason to eat and not be active, but that was not this case this time around. I started to tear up right there in the gym. I also realized that my handicap is only temporary, but if I do not get my act together I could have permanent problems. I do not want permanent problems. As I have walked around on crutches I have seen what so many people have to deal with everyday. People stare and don't even hold the door open. It has been an eye opener and I'm glad I only have to deal with this for a short time. Maybe this ripped calf is just what I needed. Who would have thought? It was a great week and I feel like a new person.

I went to Weight Watchers yesterday and my hard work paid off. I lost 8.2 pounds. That brings my total up to 14.6 pounds.

I'm so excited that I had this breakthrough. Things are looking up for me and only 2 weeks left wearing this boot. :-)

Ripped Muscle Update

I went to the doctor today and I feel so much better about this leg.
I got permission to swim!! YEAHHHHH!!! He told me to start off with walking in the pool and then work up to swimming.
He told me just not to kick too hard.
The other good news is that I do not have to use the crutches as much now. If I am going to be on my feet for most of the day I need them. Otherwise I can use my cane. I'm so excited about that. The crutches have been such a hassle.
The bummer news is that I"m in the boot for another three weeks, which will be a month total. UGH!! I also need physical therapy 3 times a week for 3 weeks. Oh well, I'm blessed becaues I do not need surgery and my handicap is just temporary, so I feel very blessed in my life. This too shall pass!



This is not a picture of my boot, but this is what it looks like. I have to wear it every waking moment and boy it gets very heavy.

Here are some haikus. Remember the first line has 5 syllables, 7 syllables, and then 5 again. ENJOY!!

Ripped calf Muscles hurt
It takes awhile to fix
At least I can swim

What else can go wrong
Is a question I don't ask
because I'll find out

I am very blessed
I have a lot that I can
Thank the good Lord for

Thank you for my friends
Thanks for my kids and husband
I am very blessed.

I saw the Beach Boys
and John Stamos was there too
Uncle Jessie Rocks!!

My Light bulb Moment

Have you ever had one of those light bulb moments? An AHA moment? One of those moments where you knew your life was going to change forever? I have and it came yesterday at my weight watchers meetings.

As you all know I hurt my calf muscle a week ago tomorrow. I hurt it bad. I couldn't walk and two of my son's coaches had to help me off the field, into a car, up my driveway, and into my house. I know it had to be hard for them weighing in at almost 300 pounds, but they never let me know and they were so wonderful in how they helped me. As I said in my last post I was frustrated at my injury, but even more importantly I was frustrated at the weight I had let myself become and now with this kind of injury all my plans to get active again would be sidetracked.

Leading up the the injury we were on vacation where we walked forever each day. I ended up having knee and ankle issues. I could not walk that fast and had to sit from time to time. UGH!! I tried to convince myself that I had lost weight because of all the walking, but I knew that eating out every meal and not making good choices all those times could not be good even with all the walking. How many more summers would I go on vacation overweight? I didn't know at this point.

So back to my light bulb moment. Yesterday morning was my weight watchers meeting. I hadn't been since the beginning of June and to be honest was avoiding it. I told myself that come hell or high water I was going to that meeting. Not even a boot on my leg would keep me away from there. I knew that I had to go. I woke up at 6am on a Saturday morning, got dressed, got my boot on, got my cane, and headed out the door. It was raining HARD. I headed out and got stopped by a train. While waiting for the slow, long, train (you know when there are 6 engines you are in trouble) a song came on my CD. It is called I AM FREE. The chorus spoke to me in that moment and I cranked the song and sang it with all my heart. Here are the lyrics:

Through you the blind will see
Through you the mute will sing
Through you the dead will rise
Through you all hearts will praise
Through you the darkness flees
Through you my heart screams
I am free

I AM FREE TO RUN
I AM FREE TO DANCE
I AM FREE TO LIVE FOR YOU
I AM FREE

Through you the kingdom comes
Through you the battle's won
Through you the price is paid
Through you I'm not afraid
Through you there's victory
Because of you my soul sings
I am free

This was the beginning of my moment. Even with the boot on my foot, even with being caught by a train, and even with a weight gain, which I knew was inevitable, I WAS FREE. I AM FREE. I felt that freedom right then and there. It was what I like to call a God Moment for me. It was incredible. Like the first verse of the song says my heart was able to scream I AM FREE. The train ended and then the gates got stuck. Like I said I was going to this meeting no matter what. I waited and the gates finally opened and I was off to my meeting. It took my forever to weigh in, but I did and I gained 5 pounds. Normally I would have cried, but not today because today I AM FREE. I went into the meeting late. I don't really remember what he was talking about, but I was able to visualize what FREEDOM I would have once I lost the weight, but even more important the FREEDOM I have now with who I am.

I decided right then and there I can still be active even without my legs. I planned what I will do this week at the gym or at home to stay active. I am tracking every morsel that is going into my mouth this week. I AM FREE from the bondage of this weight. I am excited. So I guess you could say my light bulb moment came on the way to Weight Watchers and while I was there. I AM FREE and with Christ's help I will succeed. Life is too short for me not to get healthy and stay healthy. I know those of you that follow me will probably think, "here she goes again." That's ok. I did not gain this weight overnight and I will not lose it overnight.

I have nicknamed my journey Operation Skinny Mel (OSM for short). I am sick of being fat. I am sick of not feeling well and I am sick of my joints and back hurting. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Here's to a healthier me.

I'm so frustrated.

It seems like when I am finally getting things situated something always has to come along and mess it up.
For instance, I just worked on a schedule for the rest of my summer with a goal of doing a 5k and a 50 mile bike ride at the beginning of the fall. I will probably be able to do those still, but I ripped my right calf muscle last night. I was fielding at my son's little league practice and went for a pop fly. I did an amazing catch and when I came down I felt the riiiiiip in my right calf muscle. I have to go to physical therapy for the next few weeks three times a week and wear a boot every waking moment. I'm frustrated, but also very thankful to God that I did not need surgery. I cannot drive and obviously I cannot work out. I am in a lot of pain, but am masking it a lot so I don't worry the kids.

I'm really frustrated tonight, so I decided to list some things that I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful that I do not need surgery.
2. I am thankful for beautiful healthy children.
3. I am thankful for my wonderful husband.
4. I am thankful for great doctors and physical therapists.
5. I am thankful for my friends and family.
6 I am thankful for a great church.
7. I am thankful for this wonderful country I live in.
8. I am thankful for people who believe in me and don't dismiss me.
9. I am thankful whe my kids crack me up.
10. I am thankful for hugs and kisses.
11. I am thankful for nature.
12. I am thankful for my house and the neighborhood I live in.
13. I am thankful for the very blessed life I live and a sore calf and a boot cannot take away from my blessed life.

Please pray for quick healing and patience on my part. Thanks.

I'm still here!!

We are back from our trip and it was a trip to Disney World. My friend, Darlene, and I surprised the kids. They had clues that they were given from time to time during the drive down. It took them 12 hours to figure it out and then they were so excited and couldn't believe that we were taking them there. It was a great trip and there was nothing that could have gone better.

Today is 2 weeks since we left and it has been crazy since we've been back. I have a ton of homework due by June 25th. I haven't worked out since being home except for a couple times on WII Fit. It really is a good workout for those of you wondering. I feel like I've gained weight and I just can't get back in a healthy routine. UGH!!!

Here are goals for this coming week.

*FInish my homework
*Get to the gym twice.
*Walk in the neighborhood twice
*Don't eat out
*Grab fruit when hungry

I leave on the 28th for our family road trip to the east coast. We will be going to NY, VA. and Washington DC. We will be taking in the Baseball Hall of Fame, a Yankees game, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Colonial Williamsburg, and July 4th fireworks in our Nation's capitol. I can't wait!!

I will get back to you soon regarding how everything is going.
I hope you all have a great first day of Summer today. Get out there and have some summer fun!!

Heading out of town!!

Just wanted to let you know that I'm heading out of town for awhile. My friend (Darlene who I have been friends with for almost 23 years) and I have planned a secret trip. We have been planning it for almost 4 months and it's hear finally. :-) The best part is my kids do not even know where we are going. Their last day of school was today and we head out tomorrow. I'll tell you more when I can. I never know when my kids will read my blog. I don't want to blow anything.

I'll have my laptop with me, but I'm not sure how realistic it will be to blog.

Gotta run! Heading off to have fun!! Will be back around the 15th. Bye!!

I won the Soda bet and still going strong!!

Remember I had a bet with my brother about NO SODA. I won. He went on a camping trip with about 6 other guys and that is when he had some. He says it's funny though cause now he doesn't even like the taste of it. He gave in around day 66ish and did not tell me for about 2 weeks. I think he was hoping I would give in before then. He keeps telling me I can have one now, but I haven't and today is day 88 without soda. Go me. We bet a CD, but instead he will be getting me a 15 dollar ITUNES card.
I knew I would win. :-)

Bike the Drive 2008

I did Bike The Drive again today. This is my third year. This is where they close down Lake Shore Drive and open it to bikers for 5 hours. It is right on the Lake Front and it is fun. I biked 33 miles , which was the total ride including biking to and from the train. There will be more to come (including video inspired by Bold's biking video), but I'm tired, I'm hurting (I'll tell that story later) and I have homework. UGH!!

Later my friends.

Please pray for Steven Curtis Chapman's family today!

Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian Music artist who lost his 5 year old daughter yesterday. They live in a rural area in Tennesee and have a long winding driveway. Her brother was backing out of the driveway in an SUV and killed his little sister. She was the youngest of 6 children. She was the third daughter that the Chapmans brought home from China. They are big advocates of International adoption.

Please pray for the whole family, but especially her teenage brother. I cannot imagine what he is going through. This happened Wednesday around 5:30pm.

I don't know what else to write. I'm so sad. Whenever I hear about these accidents I get so sad. Please, please, please make sure that your driveway and street are clear of any children before pulling out. These accidents can even happen with the rearview cameras, naviagion systems, and rearview sounding systems. Just because you have these systems does mean these accidents won't happen. I found a statistic online that states:

"One third of children under six killed in motor vehicle accidents were killed ‘off road’ in yards, parking lots and driveways. Children aged one and two are most likely to be killed or injured in home driveways. The vehicle is usually moving slowly and is often being driven by a parent, relative or friend."


If you would like to read more on this tragic story you can read this link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24766629/

Have a blessed day. Hug your little ones a little longer today.

Maria is sitting on her daddy's lap in the picture. She is the one that passed away.

Student Teaching

I got the call today with my student teaching placement. I let my college know that Wauconda was my first choice, but that I would student teach anywhere. Wauconda is where I live. The grade I would like to teach is 3rd grade. I got placed in Wauconda in a 3rd grade classroom at a school called Robert Crown Elementary School. The school is just 5 minutes from my house. It works out great because I still have to get home and get my 3rd grader off the bus. This really makes everything more real to me and makes me even more motivated to finish my homework.

Speaking of which . . . . I need to get going.

God is good all the time. All the time God is good.

Remember at the end of each day to think about how blessed you are not how stressed you are.

WW UPDATE and STARBUCKS UPDATE and PICKED MY 1/2 IRONMAN

Starting Weight: 306.2
This week's Weightloss: 1.2
Total Weightloss: 11.8 pounds total
Current Weight: 294.4

I am on my way!!

Well, today was my one month anniversary or studying at the same Starbucks. I love my Saturday evening crew. Tonight there was someone new that I hadn't met before. Ryanon (pronounced Reeannin. She is named after a Fleetwood Mac song) is a mom of a 5 year old little girl and a 1 year old little boy. She goes to curves and is working on getting healthy too. She really is a cool person to know and I cannot wait to get to know her better.

Regina is great too. She makes me laugh all the time. Tyler has the coolest Mom Tattoo that I have ever seen. Adam is one of a set of triplets. He is always wondering how I am doing and asks about my homework and remembers that I am watching what I eat and drink, so he tries to advise me on what drinks are more healthy (if you can even say that about Starbucks) and hooks me up and I'm starting to get to know Jeremy too. He also helps me pick out what to drink.

Tonight they were more than generous. They gave me a free drink of the mint chocolate chip frappacino. They gave me the smallest size and I couldn't even drink half if it, it was so sweet. Ryanon said she didn't like it, but I tried it anyway and I didn't like it either, but I will say it sure beats the Green Tea drink that Regina had me try a couple weeks ago. BLAH!! They also gave me some pastries that they were going to throw out. I took them home for the kids and Keith. They will be having scones for breakfast.

If you ever want free food from Starbucks be there on Saturday nights at closing.

Here is a poem that I wrote a long time ago about my favorite Starbucks drink evah!! They do not make it anymore, so I have to have a Raspberry flavored one instead of Blackberry. It is good, but not as good. :-( I miss you BBGT Frap.

BBGT Frap by Melissa Black

I learned about a product at Starbucks the other day.
It's called a Blackberry Green Tea Frappicino they say.

I ordered a Venti not realizing it was bigger than a Grande.
I walked out the door, drink in hand it was early Monday.

I got in my car and headed to work,
took a sip of my drink and my taste buds went berserk.

I couldn't believe this light green creation.
It was the beginning of a taste bud sensation.

I knew this was love at first taste,
so I savored every sip, I didn't drink it in haste.

I knew that something had just begun.
It was a love affair with this flavor upon my tongue.

BBGT Frap is what I nicknamed my new favorite drink.
"When's my next trip to Starbucks?" is now what I think.

I'd go everyday if I could,
but I'm trying to lose weight, so that's no good.

So, once a week is where I'm at, "
I'll see you next week my dear, sweet BBGT Frap."

I think that it is funny that my post is called WW UPDATE and STARBUCKS. I am working hard all week and allowing my treat to be Saturday at Starbucks. It's working for me. :-) I know by the sounds of this post you are all probably wondering if I ever get any work done. I do. Tonight I was there for about 5 1/2 hours and I wrote 6 essays ranging from 2-5 paragraphs each. I also read about 20-30 pages for another assignment.

I'm enjoying my recent weightloss accomplishments and my schooling. I am on a roll and cannot wait so see what's next.

May 25th I am doing a 30 mile bike ride called BIKE THE DRIVE. This will be my third year doing it and I cannot wait.

I decided that I am going to do the Cutting Edge 1/2 Ironman in Effingham, Illinois June of 2011. Go Me!! I'm scared to death, but totally pumped!! I was talking to my bestbud of 23 years about this and she might actually do it with me. We picked this one cause we like the name of the town and it is the only one in Illinois that I can find.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Count your blessings!!

BIG DECISION about triathlons

I have made a big decision. I have decided that in the Summer of 2011 I will be doing a 1/2 Ironman Triathlon.

For those of you who do not know that is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run, which is a 1/2 marathon.

I know this may seem like a long way off, but it will be here before I know it. Here is my tentative plan.

Summer 2008 and the rest of 2008-drop as much weight as I can. That is about 7 1/2 months left. I want to get my back, neck, and ankles healthy. I will be doing some biking events,5k's, and volunteering at bigger events.

Summer 2009-I will be doing a couple of sprint triathlons (Approx. 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run) and my VERY FIRST Olympic Distance Triathlon (Approx. 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run). My goal is by summer of 2009 to run all my races. I do not want to be a walker anymore. I think that losing my access weight will help with that goal.

Summer 2010- I will only be doing Olympic distance triathlons and more running events.

Summer 2011- I will do my first 1/2 Ironman distance triathlon.

Obviously this is a ways off, but being 295 pounds makes me well aware that I have a long road ahead of me to get to the 1/2 Ironman distance, but I know I can and I know I will get there. I'm excited and cannot wait to see where this Ironman journey takes me.

As I go forward I will need a lot of help. Once I have a job (Estimated Fall of '09) I will be hiring a coach and taking private swimming lessons. Those of you that read my blog and do triathlons I will take all the help I can and once I am training for all of this I will need you all to hold me accountable. And I know you will.

Here's to a healthier me and here's to my 1/2 Ironman journey!!

Happy Mother's Day or is it?

Today is always bitter sweet for me.
I am a motherless mother.
That has been something that has been hard for me to deal with.
It has been eleven years since my mom's passing, but there are days that it seems like we just got the call.

Every year it amazes me what sparks what.
This year Keith's Grandma is sick. She is 93. She is not doing well.
Right before mother's day this year as part of homework I had to write about a character that was a motherless daughter and how this affected her life. This made me look at my life and how being a motherless daughter and a motherless mother have affected my life. I cried hard in walmart this year shopping for mother's day cards and for Keith's grandma. It was hard.

Since my mom's passing I have had to reevaluate what family is. I have great family memebers, but some of them live out of state and cannot be as involved as they would like. Some family I haven't really heard from since my mom's passing, so I have come to the realization that I was trying to hold onto ideals just because that is how it is supposed to be, but I have realized that family is not just blood. My kids have adopted grandparents in the area. My bestfriend is their AUNT and my aunt who lives in California is more like my Mom. And we are very blessed to have my brother and his wife and their 2 year old just four doors down. I take mother's day to honor those females who are a part of my life and who make not having a mom just a little bit easier. Thanks.

I could just stay in bed all day and play the poor me card all day, but the Lord knew that wouldn't do and he blessed me with the most precious children. Tricia is 10 and Parker is 8. They love me so much and show me in so many different ways. They hug and kiss me all the time. They tell me thanks mom all the time and they make me smile all the time. They even tell me I'm the best cook even when I just heat up a pizza. :-) They are my world and I love the title of mom. Yes, mother's day is hard and I wish I could celebrate it with my mom, but I am the happiest mom around today because I have my own children.

So the title of this post is Happy Mother's Day or is it? I answer yes it is.

For those of you that have lost your mom's recently I am here for you and I am so sorry. It is not easy at any age to lose your mom.
For those of you who want to be a mom, but can't. I am here for you.
For those of you who have lost childern, I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart.

For those of you who have people in these positions here is some advice:

-don't say to the person who has lost their mom. "We'll at least you are a mom. That's gotta make mother's day easier." It does, but it doesn't take away our pain.
-For someone that has lost their mom don't say, "It's been eleven years, aren't things easier now?" Yes, they are, but there is always something that sparks a new feeling of sadness."
-If you know someone trying to get pregnant don't say, " You could always adopt." They already know that. They don't need to be reminded.
-If they lost a child don't say, "At least you have more at home." They cherish the ones they have at home, but that doesn't lessen the pain they are feeling about losing the one.
-Just tell them you are there for them and will listen whenever they need a friend. Truly listen to them. Let them talk, cry, and offer a lot of hugs. If you don't know what to say it's ok to say, "I don't know what to say, but I'm here for you." In fact that is the best thing you can say.

Happy Mother's day to all my favorite mother's out there.
and Happy Sunday to my friends who are not mom's yet, but who mean the world to me.
I love you all and could not do the things I do without you. You all mean the world to me and I wanted to take a moment today to tell you that. Love you. Smooches.

Thank you Tricia and Parker for making me a mom. I love you both so much and am so happy that I am your mom. It is a happy mother's day and I love being a mom.

WW Update

Lost 1.4 pounds

Starting weight was 306.2
Today's weight is 295.6

Total weightloss is 10.6

GO ME!!

Homework Zone

I'm in the zone, the homework zone. When I'm not with the fam all I'm doing is sticking my nose in a book. I'm becoming friends with the local Starbucks Saturday evening crew. I spent 6 hours there yesterday doing homework. I get free food and free drinks. They know I'm trying to lose weight, so they make me skinny drinks. Don't worry I'm being careful and it's only on Saturdays. My friend Darlene came with me last night to do some work of her own. She left and brought me dinner and when she came back she went through the drive-thru and asked them to deliver it to me. Right before she pulled up I went up the the counter and asked them, "Hey has anyone delivered anything for me?" They were very confused and said no and then she pulled up and asked them to deliver it to me. It was great and they all had a good laugh. When you have a friend for almost 23 years you do crazy stuff together. Lake Zurich Starbucks Evening Crew YOU GUYS ROCK!! Regina, I'm not sure I'll ever like that Green Tea powder. We'll see. :-)

I will be sporadic with the posting right now, but know I'm doing great with my eating, ok with my working out, and awesome with my homework.

I will continue to give weight watchers and Ironman updates, but that might be it for awhile. You can email me if you want. I'll still be following your journeys. Keep up all the great work your doing, Keep on Keepin' on, Dream Big, Eat less, move more, Get well soon,Keep searching for God, don't kill anyone at work, and keep posting about those cute kids. YOU CAN DO IT!! I think I pretty much covered everyone's blogs I read :-) and the most important COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. Have a blessed day everyone. Graduation here I come!!! For those of you who do not know I will be graduating with my elementary education degree December of this year. WaaaaHooooo!! Go me!!