sometimes I need my head checked

So on Monday I got a little excited about having a day off and being a little more rested from CDA and maybe I got a little over ambitious with my workouts. Funny thing is that my legs feel great today - they are usually the things that hurt when I overdo it.
It's my arms that are about to fall off. And here's why. Please be prepared for another brain trust moment for ETG.
- A.M.: an hour of yoga that had my arms shaking within the first 15 minutes. Note to self: get back into yoga ASAP! Clearly I need it!
- P.M.: arrived a tad early for the T3 hill workout and the pain from yoga had not set in yet so while I missed the majority of the core workout (on purpose!), I arrived just in time for a push-up pyramid. (Start with 10 push-ups, then 9, then 8, and so on...) It's a killer but for some sick reason, I love doing it. As Logan said, "If it's not hurting then you aren't doing it right." Well, I must have really done it right because it's still hurting today!
And I discovered the pain this morning at our swim practice where we practically pulled the entire workout. Okay, not really, but we had at least 2 500s pulling. Never my favorite thing. Definitely not my favorite thing this morning!
I'm praying for a lower body workout at core tomorrow. (Don't worry, fellow "corers"...I have NOT breathed a word of this to Chrissie so if we do end up with a lower body workout it is NOT my fault!!!)
Maybe someday I will learn? Maybe not...it's all too much fun!

surprise!

I love surprises! Correction...I love surprising people! I don't mind being surprised (like when Kimberly and John surprised me at CDA...wow. That was amazing!) but I get a kick out of surprising other people. The planning. The scheming. It totally plays into the little "sneak" in me that likes to be "up to something" that I know will bring joy to someone else. Birthdays. Random surprise gifts. I swear, I become all giggly like I'm 5 years old again.
Of course, there's always a chance that the person whom you are surprising isn't going to be that excited...but you can always hope they have a great reaction. Sort of like Amy's reaction today when I surprised her with the news that I'm going to be at Vineman to cheer on my T3 friends and teammates. (I won't go into details but it involved excited noise! Lucky me!) My aunt and uncle live about an hour from the race site so I decided a month or so ago to combine a visit to them with a little trip over to Vineman. I was actually going to do this race before I signed on for CDA so they were half expecting me to be in CA sometime this summer to visit them. I have never been to their place in Calistoga so I'm looking forward to ALL aspects of this trip. I'm looking forward to spending some time with (Aunt) Mary and (Uncle) Rob...to being in northern California again...to maybe enjoying a little cooler weather...and to being in Napa (never been there!).
And I'm super excited to be able to be able to cheer on my T3 friends! I feel like there haven't been that many races lately where I've gotten to return the favor of cheering so I'm all smiles about getting to do that. Need to get my cheers in order so that I can appropriately embarrass...I mean, inspire...my teammates! Yeah T3 athletes at Vineman...I can't wait to see you rock the course with your training and your smiles!!!
P.S. Other great things about today...yoga...lunch with Rebecca...randomly running into Malia...hill workout (I've missed this workout - and I didn't die!)...oh, yeah, we didn't have work today so I got to do all of these things!

little projects...

...were my task today.
I have had a lot of little projects sitting around my house since...well, I'm not really sure how long I've been meaning to do some things. But for a good long while. Taking the recycling to school. Getting rid of old issues of magazines. Trying to fix a pipe under my sink (might be calling for some assistance here since I can't seem to get it to stay for very long...).
But today the main project was my desk. It's in my spare bedroom which quickly became my "tri room" when I took up more serious triathlon training. Boxes with Gus, Honey Stinger chews, Body Glide, USAT registration forms, etc... sit neatly in one corner of the room next to the book shelf where some photos live, too. A chair from Gran and Granddaddy's room is in the corner and I would like to say that I sit in it and read and put my feet up on the ottoman that Granddaddy used to sit on to put his shoes on with his shoehorn each morning. But I don't. Maybe this coming year I will. On the other side of the room is my desk. Or what in previous years was used as a desk but somehow became more a collecting spot for random items this past year.
Anyway, I want to start using it as a desk again. Which means I needed to clear it off! So after my run (first run since CDA and I did a 4 mile walk-jog that felt really good) and some T3 tennis (what a hoot...I need a little - okay A LOT of - work before I'm allowed on the court in any serious capacity!), I "grounded" myself and cranked up the music in my condo to make the work pass quickly. Or make it more enjoyable. Or something.
After many hours of making decisions about whether to keep, recycle, or shred stuff...filing stuff...moving stuff to other rooms where it belonged...and vowing to myself that it would never get this bad again (how many times have I said that?!)...I am finally sitting here at my clean desk blogging and feeling a certain sense of accomplishment.

Happy 4th of July!

Another Independence Day on the books...and really, what's not to love about the 4th of July? Celebrating our independence and freedom as citizens of the United States - this always means more to me when I think about other people in other countries and how their freedoms are limited. Celebrations usually involve friends, family, hot dogs on a grill or bbq (my choice this year!), watermelon, fireworks...general goodness. The weather is usually hot but somehow I'm rarely where it's raining...and the heat just makes the cool beverages taste all the better!
I have great memories of July 4th celebrations. I spent most of mine at camp in Tennessee (headed back there this weekend for a reunion...awesome!). We would start the day with some marching formation at flag line. I know, I know...bizarre. And it was. Looking back on this it just makes me laugh. What were we thinking?! We would then be chosen for a team. You were either a red, a white, a blue, or an "and". I always wanted to be an "and" because you got to wear red, white, AND blue. No such luck. Was a red for the majority of my years at camp...a blue a couple of times...and a white once. Anyway, each team competed in a crazy relay that took you all over camp from the archery range to the stables to the tennis courts to the woodshed to the canoe dock to the church to the dam to the swim area through craft park and finally back to the flagpole where the victor raised her team's "flag" (or a piece of some article of clothing of the appropriate color) up the flagpole first. The reward - King Leo candy! Peppermint, lemon, and vanilla candy sticks were always a hit. The clove flavor didn't go over so well one year! The day at camp always ended with fireworks over the lake...very cool.
This year I started my 4th of July with a ride out 360 to Parmer. Even though Liz, Blythe, and I didn't break any speed records, we had a great ride! Nice to know that my legs can still do the 360 hills (the "triple bypass" as Laura calls it!)...and they don't seem that bad compared to CDA. Did I just say that?!
Evening fun at the Salt Lick for some family-style bbq. This is just good stuff. With good people and friends...Laura, her friend Graham, Yvonne, Matt, Amanda, Gordon, Blythe, Joe, and Logan. And then some time on the Wii. Oh my gosh! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time...what a great memory of the 4th of July!

good stuff...

...that's what today was full of.
- 40+ miles with Amy on the bike...Kyle-Valero...love that route! Plus a new way back home which was fun...and pretty.
- breakfast at Magnolia and Amy and Cass...good food...good laughs.
- haircut at Tracy's...I was in serious need of this! It's a little like Steel Magnolias when you are there. She has two cats and two dogs. The phone is ringing. Sometimes (like today) Robyn, Rebecca, and I all end up there together. I can't remember a time when I was out of there in under 2 hours. And if you stay late enough in the evening, Tracy will pour everyone a glass of wine! Do you want someone cutting your hair while she is drinking?! With Tracy it's okay!
- snow cone from Sno Beach with Amy...new flavors. Hang on, folks...cranberry for Amy (thumbs up) and 1/2 lemon + 1/2 lime for me (thumbs up...on the lime especially)
- massage at Performance Wellness with Katie Cully...awesome! Saw Jess there...always a bright spot
- quick trip to Whole Foods to pick up recommended Plant Life bath salts (hot bath before bed to work out all of the junk that got stirred up during the massage today!
- chicken rolls from Whole Foods for dinner...just the right thing in 100+ degree weather
- movie on the couch...nice to be home and just be lounging...
- and early to bed so I can get up for a little ride tomorrow...I had so much fun today and actually loved being on my bike (I know, I know...what's gotten into me?! Maybe the 112 miles in CDA strengthened my affection for my bike!)

when the weather stays hot...

....snow cones seem to be one way to stay cool in Austin, Texas!!
I've long been a fan of Sno Beach and I think Amy and I are currently on a personal mission to see just how many snow cones a girl can eat in a summer. We might even branch out and try new flavors sometime soon!
But today Malia and her girls and I went to Jim Jim's - which is actually "water ice" and not a snow cone. I think that's a bad name for it because it is way more than "water ice"! It is a delicious concoction of very fine ice mixed with real fruit. Oh my gosh...it is incredible. Apparently, it is a favorite in Philadelphia. I know it gets hot there in the summer, folks, but really, you would think that someone in the south would have come up with this! Anyway, the flavors I can vouch for are mango berry, mango, strawberry, and strawberry lemonade. We had all of those today. I know...that's five flavors and there were only four of us. Loula (age 4) had strawberry lemonade but liked my mango so much that she had to get a small little cup of it. Bo (a little over 1 years old) thoroughly enjoyed hers...as evidenced by strawberry stains all over her white shirt. And Malia and I just sat and laughed and got cooled off by ours. Good find!!! And certainly a highlight of my day to spend time with Malia and her precious girls. Really, what is sweeter than a little kid sitting in your lap eating some water ice?! Bo and Loula made my day with their big smiles and hugs...lucky me to spend time with them.
Malia asked me which I liked better Sno Beach or Jim Jim's...really, this is an unfair question! But I think they are just different. Both cool and refreshing and sweet and delicious...just different.
I'm now a fan of both...got any other snow cone spots we need to try out this summer?

rain!

As I write this it's sunny and super humid but earlier today it was storming...and it that was only a mild storm compared to yesterday's massive thunderstorm.
I love a good thunderstorm. I love them more when I'm watching them from a front porch or when it's all dark in the house and the lightning creates a light show for you. But even sitting in my office yesterday as the rain pelted the tin roof and the windows, I was in heaven watching it.
It's been so incredibly hot here in Texas...endless days of over 100 degree weather...so we were all thrilled to see the rain yesterday. The temperatures dropped and I laughed at myself because I was feeling like I needed a sweatshirt when it was 75 degrees outside! Believe me, that feels cold when it's been in the triple digits. I think we've seen the last of it...the cooler weather, that is...looks like the triple digits are here to stay through the end of next week. Ah, well, I sure did enjoy it while it lasted!!