A Letter To My Friend Kelly. An Ironman Athlete.

Kelly,

I'm sure you have a mixed bag of emotions running through your head as the final hours dwindle on your Ironman race.

Am I really ready for this thing?
Did I really put the true training into this massive event I'm about to behold?
God, I just want this thing to be over with already!
Remind me again. Why did I sign up for this?!?
I'm effing awesome.
I'm about to take on one of the greatest physical challenges that a woman to do.
I. Can. Do. This.

Kel, you CAN do this. You may not - and will not be - the strongest competitor out there. No matter. YOU are the strongest competitor that I know. YOU are an amazing soul. YOU have it in the depths of your being to complete this monumental accomplishment.

We have been friends for over 7 years now. I have grown so much because of knowing you. All those days riding together, all those days on the treadmill running side-by-side, all those damn sit-ups we did together....while it might not seem so "special" at the time, we developed a close bond that I never thought possible through fitness. You made me believe that I'm a strong-ass competitor and that I'm a freaking athlete. You have this indescribable strength that can - and will - put you at the finish line.

So as you head into the final hours of your adventure, I want you to remember this. YOU inspire me. You are an incredible athlete and friend who can do this.

I can't wait for Sunday to get here.

Love ya,
Chris

My Second Sprint Triathlon

I completed my 2nd Sprint Triathlon on Saturday.  And I'm happy to report that I shaved 6 minutes off my time!

I was 2 minutes faster on the bike, by increasing my average speed from 17.5 to 18.8mph (and I must say that the course is HILLY....so that's 18.8 on curvy hills!).  I love biking...and I love attacking hills, so I'm pretty happy with those results.  I'm even more happy knowing that I've got one of the heaviest road bikes out there.  So with an average speed of 18.8 on hills, with a heavy bike, I'll take 18.8.  This just means I've got to get a lighter bike.  I can't even imagine how fast I'll fly with a bike that weighs 2.3 lbs.....

For the running portion of the race, I ran 4 minutes faster.  With a bum foot.  While I thought I had plantar fascitis on my left foot, Dr. Kiovsky thinks it's actually carpel tunnel's syndrome in the heel.  Who knows?  All I know is that my foot was on FIRE as I made my way up the hill at the start of the run.  Buuut, you gotta feel the pain to get the results you want.  That's all I kept telling myself.  Pain's only temporary.  Pride is forever.

You'll notice that I'm not mentioning the swimming portion of the race.  That's because I absolutely SUCK at swimming.  Truth be told, I don't actually know how to swim properly.  All I've ever done - even as a kid - is swim under water.  If I took lessons as a kid, I don't remember them.  And while I loved the water (and still do), I just don't know how to swim correctly.  So I do the backstroke for basically the entire length of the race. 

So that's my 2nd Tri in a nutshell.  The kids came along this time to see Mommy race.  Which was cool.  I love exposing my kids to our active lifestyle of racing and fitness.  In fact, Emma can't wait to turn 7.  That's the youngest age that kids can enter formal races like these!

Emma's Sleeping Hands

On the weekends, Emma refuses to take a nap.  But we require that she at least have some "relaxation time" which normally consists of some couch time while watching iCarly, Shake It Up, or Good Luck Charlie.

Well, yesterday I came up the stairs to find her asleep in this position while watching said shows.  She can literally sleep anywhere......

The Nothing Special, But Yet Very Special Video

I'm putting this video on my list of faves.  There's nothing special about it, per say.  It's just a great snapshot of a moment in time.  You've got Emma bossing Grandma around playing a game with Grandma.  And then Drew's running back and forth, like the crazy little man that he is.  All the while, Emma and Grandma continue playing, like it ain't no thang.

It's just so comical to me.  Welcome to my world.

State Fair Time

After work/school yesterday, we enjoyed an evening at the Indiana State Fair.  Although we're all affected by the tragedy that happened this past weekend at the fairgrounds, we thought it was still important to continue on.  As we were passing by the stage/infield, I did take a few moments to reflect on those who hurt and killed.

We started off the evening with a healthy and nutritious meal of corn dogs (kids) and breaded tenderloins as big as your butt (us).  We walked around a bit, looking at the world's biggest bore (balls = gross), but we spent most of our time at the rides.  I was excited to have Drew experience his first ride.  He went on the spinning teddy bears with me and Emma.  He didn't know what to think of it at first...he looked at me with that confused look, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.  After sissy assured him that it's fun, he decided he liked it for a few moments, but was then quickly over it.

So we decided that something a little less impactful would be better suited for him.  So Emma continued on "her" rides, while Drew and Daddy watched from the sidelines.  Drew did want to go for a ride on the truck ride, so he and Emma had a fun, little time together.

Checking out the world's biggest bore.



Not sure whether he likes it or not...



Bumper Cars!

He's definitely having fun now!

There's Emma, all the way up there

And here she is coming all the way down!

Drew's First Shiner

Poor Drewbie. First his sister runs into him a couple of weeks ago, leaving a huge knot on the side of his head. Remember? If not, check it out here. Then, a few days later, he falls at the Zoo, leaving yet again another knot on his head. Then, this weekend, his sister accidentally clocks him in the eye with a swing. It left a nice, little shiner on his right eye.

Poor little man.

But, on the flip side, I have received a few comments that he looks like a cute, little football player. And everyone knows I love hearing that!!!!!

Accessory Make-Over for My Bedroom

I can't stand clutter.  But I LOVE jewelry and have dozens and dozens of earrings and bracelets and necklaces.  Of which I consider pieces of art in their own right.  So when I came across this great DIY Earring tutorial on Pinterest, I just knew I had to replicate it.

What do you think; turned out fabulous right?!?

Here's a shot of the full thing.  These shelves are just some cubing units I picked up from Target.  I added some pictures along with some bust forms to showcase a couple of necklaces, and some of my bracelet arms (from The Container Store) to display some of my bracelets.

Emma's First Day of Preschool

Emma is now a Pre-K'er.  According to her, she's been dreaming of this day her whole life.  She can't wait to go on field trips and be with the "big kids" now.  Gosh, if she's this excited for pre-kindergarden, I can't imagine what 1st grade will do to her!

Here she is, in all her glory.  Missy Lucille, ready for Pre-K!

My mini-me.

Ok, so I had a little fun last night modeling her headband. Hey, if momma can make it, momma reserves the right to test it out!

Let's Call This My Tagline

I've finally found it. My personal tagline. And I'll give my husband, friends, and co-workers permission to refer back to this at any given time.

Trump Soho

I was excited to be going back to 'The City' this week, even if it was on business.  It was just a quick trip, though.  3 days in and out.  And our schedule was pretty jammed full of meetings and dinners and activities, so I really didn't get to go out and explore my old stomping grounds too much.

But I must say the best experience on this trip was the hotel.  We stayed at the Trump Soho and it was fab. u. lous.  I believe they call it a "Preferred Hotel."  I call it fanFREAKINGtastic.

My home for 3 days.

View from the 37th floor.  Yes, I was on the 37th floor.  Ahh-MAZE-ing.

So I thought this was so cool.  Not only is it in the bathroom, right next to the toilet, but it had my name on it!

I mean, could it get any better?  The garden tub (that was like, 4 feet deep) overlooked the city.  Heck yes I took a bath at night!

This was taken while soaking in my wonderful tub.  Pure Heaven.

Emma's Keys

It's crazy to me what Emma chooses to grab a hold of.  A couple of days ago, while at the hardware store, she saw a bungee key chain.  You know those plastic, spiral ones?

She was determined that she needed one for her "Jeep keys."  So Daddy played along and bought her this silly key chain.  He even added a few of his unused keys to it.

Well that key chain must have some magical powers.  Because she hasn't let it out of her sight for the past week.  She wears it all day, every day like it's a fashionable accessory......and heck, who knows?  Watch this turn into the next "slap bracelet."  Remember those?!?

Exhibit A.  She wears it on bike rides.

Close up of her "accessory."

Exhibit B.  She wears it to bed.

Nashvegas 2011

This weekend I went to Nashville with Malnar.  She has decided to start anew by packing up and saying so long to Chi-town, but she has never been there, so this was her one and only chance to find an apartment (Uh, yikes right?).  Like Mal, I have never been to Nashville either, so when I saw her post on Facebook that she was going to go to the Keith Urban concert I thought, "Why not?!?....it'd be a fun extended weekend trip."  So aside from apartment hunting, we visited lots o' places, had a fantastic time at the concert, and gained about a million pounds.

First stop: Jack's Bar-B-Que. Located right on the strip, we were starving after 5+ hours in the car. It totally satisfied our fill of southern food. Pulled pork, green beans, mac & cheese, and some warm cornbread. Salivating now, just thinking about it!

Country Music Hall of Fame

This car was so cool.  Webb Pierce's "Gun Car," featuring silver dollars in the dashboard, gun and rifle door handles, and of course the steer horns at the front of the car.  Don't mess with this beauty!

One of the many walls of silver/gold/platinum records.

Taking a "spin" on one of them. I'm so cool.

One of Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood's outfits during the 2009 CMA's.

Absolutely beautiful. Love Carrie, love the dress.

So after the CMHoF, we worked up a quite a little appetite.  I think this should do the trick, don't you?!?

Worth every delicious, carloric bite!

That night we went to DaVinci's Gourmet Pizza.  Although we didn't get any pizza, we enjoyed some FABULOUS pasta dishes.  And wine.

Cheers!

After dinner, we headed out to some bars. Er, I mean bar. Being the cool individuals we are, we only lasted about 30 minutes and one.  And then our beds were calling.  The picture above was taken just outside the Tin Roof. I thought it was such a cool figure. Perfect for Nashville!

Saturday's agenda included breakfast at Noshville, a great diner just around the corner from our hotel.  I loved this sign that hung above the entrance. How funny is that?!?

Noshville

After breakfast and some apartment hunting, we decided to head down to the Opry Mills for some shopping and to check out the Grand Ole Opry.  Only problem?  The shopping center was closed due to the floods they had there a while back. 

At least we got to see it though, right?

But I was in a shopping mode.  So we pulled out the ol Frommer's book and headed to the next best mall, the Mall at Green Hills.

After a couple hours of shopping, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner.  We hit up "PM," a Thai-American bistro that I thought, had the best burgers in Nashville.  Turns out, there's only one of the menu.  Mal had some sushi and I had some Crab Fried Rice.  It was.....interesting.

Finally, it was time for some Keith Urban!!!  His concert was fantastic.  He does a really good job at making it a memorable night for his fans.  Appropriately titled, "Get Closer," he definitely got extremely close to his fans.  He read out about 5 or so people's signs that they had made.  He pulled a few people up from the audience to get their picture taken with him.  He had a "sing-off" with 3 people he pulled from the audience, where the winner got to sign beside him for a song.  And he gave a signed guitar that he played out in the audience to an unsuspecting fan.  It was awesome.

Best of all, he played a little Jonny Cougar.  I'll post that awesome video later.