Time to Update the Summer Checklist

1. Go on vacation.
2. Do at least one triathlon (sprint to start).
3. Do a century ride. In one day. That's 100 miles.
4. Take weekly trips to the pool.
5. Have a family and friend cookout.
6. Get a sno cone.
7. Go to the Indiana State Fair.
8. Go on a ride with Drewbie for the 1st time at the fair.
9. Go on a picnic at Fort Benjamin Harrison.
10. Have a summer date night with the hubs. Complete with wine and a evening stroll. Anywhere.
11. Go to the Fishers Fire Station.
12. Go to an outdoor concert at White River.
13. Take a walk along the canal.
14. Go to Nashville, TN with Malnar.


Do you know how happy it makes me to strike-through some items off my Summer Checklist?!?

VERY happy. In fact, I'm doing the happy dance right now.

Let's see. Quick recap:
- Take a Vacation. Check. OBX in June. Simply fab.
- Do at Least One Triathlon. Check. Eagle Creek Sprint Series. Check out my post on this. One word = awesome.
- Do a Century Ride. Check. Did it this past week. One word = awesomeness.
- Go to Nashville, TN with Mal. Check. Well, okay...sorta cheating on this one. I leave tomorrow. But I'm doing it, plans are set so it's totally acceptable to pre-check on this one.

A Conversation With Emma

My mom shared a funny little conversation that she had with Emma the other day. It was too cute not to share.

As we were leaving my house Saturday, Emma saw the young couple loading their car up for a cookout.  She asks me….where are their children?  Are they leaving them home?  I said no, they don’t have any children to which she said why not.  I said because they don’t want any yet then she said “well, Jesus will just have throw one in her belly!!!”
 

100 Miles

Checked off another goal of mine this past weekend.  I biked 100 miles on Saturday with Kelly and Andy.  As Kelly's unofficial training partner for her Ironman (which is in 4 weeks...ahh!), I made a 100-miler a goal at the beginning of the summer.  

Back in June, when Kelly & I did the Tour de Cure, I thought Sharon (our spinning instructor/friend) was crazy to do 100 miles around the track (truth be told, I still think she's crazy for doing it around and around a track....I'd go crazy!)....but a small part inside of me wanted to see if I could do it, too.  So while making my Summer Check List, I added it to the list of fun things to do.  


And I did it!

I could lie, and say that it was a cake walk.  

But hell, 100 miles in one day is NO JOKE!  At about the 70 mile marker, I was wondering how in the hell I was going to finish it.  But I knew at that point that it was purely a mental thing.  I knew I had the strength and I definitely knew I had the willpower to do it, so I wasn't going to stop!


Kelly sweats profusely, where she loses an INSANE amount of salt.  (Like, INSANE.  Her black cycling shorts turn white with salt. No joke.)  And even though she took multiple salt tablets throughout the course of the ride, she kept cramping up.  So she had to stop around the 90 mile marker.  Andy turned to me and said, "Chris, what do you want to do?"  

My reply?  

"If I'm going to do this, I'm going to DO this."  I hadn't cycled for 6 hours, just to cut it 10 miles short.  So, even though our speed went dramatically down, we pushed through the last 10 miles and completed ONE HUNDRED FREAKING MILES!

Screen shot of our course. Started at 52nd St, and went all the way up to Tipton. Then we went back down to about 16th St to get the last 10 miles in. 

Fixing Andy's flat tire. First experience with a flat. Thank God for Kelly's expertise!

Always a team, dressed in red, Team Swickheimer DID IT!

Knot's Landing

Emma and Drew got some new shoes yesterday. And naturally they had to try them on immediately to see how much faster they are with them on.

So Emma's running one way, and Drew's running another.

You know what happens next, right?..........
 

NKOTBSB

I fulfilled my 12-year old fantasy last night.  I saw the New Kids On The Block.  Sorry, NKOTB. 

And it was AMAZEBALLS.  They combined their tour with the Backstreet Boys, hence KNOTBSB.

Did I mention that it was AMAZEBALLS?!? 

Say it together with me now.  N - K - O - T - B - S - B.

That's right.

N - K - O - T - B - S - B

Party-Goers!

Sarah and I, friends since (technically) 1986. 

Nick Carter (BSB) walked right down our aisle. Sarah touched him. She's in love. 

He's really tall, and yeah. OK. He's hot, too. 

Finale: Hangin' Tough. These guys were AWESOME. I mean, I don't know very many 38 - 45 year olds that can BRING IT (and have washboard abs) like they did! 



Busy, Busy, Busy

What a fantastic weekend! My planned 3-day weekend (thanks to Flex Fridays!) actually turned into a nice, long, family/friend/fitness 4-day weekend! Our sitter had to take a sick day and it was my turn to stay home with the kids, so I had such a fun time!!! We jam-packed so much into the weekend, that I think I'll break apart all our activities below.

Summer Fun

After our tri, Andy & I headed to the Kiovsky's again for some lake fun. Emma (and Andy!) enjoys jumping off the dock, doing cannonballs and Drewbie enjoys playing in the sandbar and floating with mom & dad on different flotation devices. I absolutely LOVE lake living. I only wish we lived on a lake, where we could hop out into the water whenever we desired.

Later that evening, we went over to the Youtsey's to enjoy a little cookout. The kids have a ball, playing on the slip and slide and running around just being kids. One of the major highlights included the leaf-bug-thingy they found. They carried it around and got a kick out of Jon holding it, allowing it to crawl up his arm. Ewww.

 

All the kids (minus Drew): Anna (5), Hannah (3), Jack (5), Ella (7), Emma (4)

Checking out the leaf bug thing.