Vacation Pictures

Yep, I promised them last week, but I suck.  No, I'm adulting.  And adulting is hard.  I'm exhausted.  I have a hard time finding time to do my workouts let alone blog about them and the rest of my life.  But today we cancelled our cable which means I'm gonna have lots of time (I'm kind of addicted to tv).  I'm gonna try harder.  I swear.  I SWEAR!!!

Two weeks ago we went down to Florida for our annual spring break with my parents.  My parents, now retired, are staying down there for a little over a month so we went and visited and stayed with them.  Here's a few pictures (mostly of Anderson) from our trip.  (And if you're my Instagram friend, you've seen most of these.)

The day we flew down to Florida was Anderson's 4th birthday.  We had gotten up at 4:00am and the little dude did not take a nap all day.  He was nearly asleep as we lit up his cupcake.

Looks like he still enjoyed his cupcake, though.

Our family friend who lives in the area got Anderson a kite for his birthday.  He loved it!

This is probably my favorite pictures from the trip.  I made this my lock screen on my phone. 

My boys. 

Sunset at the beach.

Oh yeah.  I was on this trip too.

Weirdos. 

Immediately after he got to the park he tripped over the root and landed on his face.  Hence, the dirt on his face. 

These are out of order.  On the way home, the captain invited Anderson into the cockpit, let him sit in his seat, and even wear his hat.  Um, I was jealous. 

It wasn't all beach (although it mostly was).  One morning Anderson enjoyed running through the fountains in the middle of Venice.

My sister is down there this week and my parents come home in a few weeks.  I have done this trip every year for as long as I can remember.  It's fun, although with a toddler now, it is a lot of work.  There's no more taking a nap on the beach.  Next year we will probably not get to go since we will be going to Boston for the marathon.  It's time for a change, though.  Maybe the break's not such a bad thing.  Either way, anything has got to be better than winter in Ohio.  Happy spring!!!

Foto Friday

I have not been a very good blogger.  I've got a computer that barely works, an icloud that is full, and a winter of discontent that have really dragged me down.  But I've got a new computer, a marathon on the horizon, a return to multisport training soon, and a vacation upcoming so it seems like a good time to get back into a routine.

So I'm starting now with some cute pictures of the kid.  I've kind of started a new series on my instagram that I'm calling Life in Black and White or for the younger generation, #lifeinblackandwhite.

2017 Plans

Yeah, yeah.  It's the 10th of January and I'm just now blogging about my 2017 plans.  I've got some goals, some big goals, but I'm going to keep those private for now.  I'll let you know if I achieve them.

So, here are my plans athletically.

• A couple of half marathons.  I was thinking one next month, but I'm frozen to the bone.  Winter running is stupid.  I'll keep thinking.
• Early spring marathon.  I would really like to qualify for Boston again.  In 2018 it falls on my 40th birthday and I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate such a big milestone (who the hell would say that running a marathon for their birthday is fun?!?!)  I have yet to sign up for the marathon, but I'm planning on the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach on March 19th.  I haven't done a race yet in Virginia so this also checks that off.
• Aquathlons, aquathlons, aquathlons!  Surprisingly there are three or four aquathlons in Ohio that are eligible towards USAT ranking points.  I'm going to do as many as I can to help my ranking and to give me experience towards....Aquathlon Nationals.  I've got some BIG BIG goals for this race.  Nationals will be October 1st in Austin.
• Also some fun stuff like run 2000 miles (that'll never happen but I'll at least try for it), swim 200K yards, do pilates once a week, stop skipping strength workouts, continue to eat healthy foods, etc.

Let's talk about personal stuff.  I love the new year.  I love new goals and resolutions and all that jazz.  Here are some thoughts I have personally.

• Read more than 12 books.  I know this is the same goal every year, but my Kindle is awesome and I read much faster with it.  Now if I could just get the ebooks faster from the library.
• Take more pictures.  I swear this is a goal I set every year for myself.  I was making a Shutterfly calendar this week and struggled to find enough pictures from last year to put it together.  Unfortunately, the memory is full on my phone right now and my laptop is on it's last breath and I really can't afford a new one so I'm not sure how I'm going to accomplish this.
• Be more present.  Honestly, I am still really struggling with having put my kid in daycare to go back to work.  It's been 6 weeks now and he still cried and throws a fit every time we go (although he does the same at the end of the day because he doesn't want to leave).  When we come home I want to pay attention to him.  I don't want to be on the treadmill leaving him to play by himself.  I don't want to be on my phone reading Facebook.  I want it to be family time.  Truly, this has been hard.  Aren't we all addicted to our phones and Facebook and Instagram (and for me, the TV)?  As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer I think family time is going to become even more special.

I thought 2016 was a great year.  2017 is going to be even better.  I'm back to work.  I've got money again.  I can make improvements to the house.  I can camp with the family now.  The kiddo is a fantastic age - he's so fun.  I'm really looking forward to what lies ahead.

What are your thoughts on 2017?

Foto Friday

Here's a few more pictures from our trip to Mexico.  We stayed at an all-inclusive resort so we didn't do a whole lot of anything.  Lots of pool.  Lots of snorkeling.  Lots of drinking.  Lots of sleeping.  So, we didn't usually have a camera with us and there wasn't a whole lot to take pictures of, but here's a few that we did take (not race related).

Gosh Mexico.  You are so ugly.

So, so ugly.

 I once caught a fish THIS BIG!!!

 Before and after the practice swim.

Foto Friday

Obviously, a very serious conversation going on about swings and physics.

 Just like that, the first year of preschool is done.  And if we don't get potty trained this summer, there won't be a second year of preschool!

Mini Vacation

At the beginning of December we took a long weekend down to Myrtle Beach for a little R&R.  We weren't expecting amazing weather and sitting on the beach, but just a little time away from reality.  It was a whirlwind trip - getting down there super late on Saturday, spending pretty much all day Sunday getting checked into the timeshare, Monday it rained all day, and Tuesday we left for home.  We did enjoy lots of rest, a little beach time, good food, and a fun time at the Atlanta airport.  Here's a few pictures.

Anderson was so tired after we arrived that he fell asleep on our bed just like this - all his clothes and shoes on too.

 

On our way home, we had a long layover in Atlanta.  We had a cranky toddler on our hands and needed a way to keep him occupied.  So we headed down to the basement of the airport and rode the train back and forth, back and forth.  We would walk from end to end and then catch the train again.  It was boring as hell for me, but to Anderson it was the best thing ever.

Week in Review

Last week was a pretty good week.  I got in all my swims and all my runs, but missed a few strength workouts.  Each week I'm getting closer and closer to putting it all together.  Will next week be the one?

Swimming - 9600 yards ~ 5.5 miles
I would have loved to have gotten in one more swim to get in over 10,000 yards.  It wasn't on the calendar and there wasn't time.  I did do one epic swim.  You can read about it here. 

Running - 22.7 miles
I've gotten soft in my old age.  I used to love running outside in the cold.  Now I'd rather just suck it up on the treadmill.  I did four runs last week and only one was outside.  And it was not my long run.  I also have limited child care options and don't love to run in the dark so the treadmill is my best option to do my runs anyway.

Strength Training - 0.25 hours
I think I had four workouts on the schedule and only did one.  This one was important though as there was some hip strength to it.  I'm still working on recovering from my injury.

Picture of the Day:

#thesnuggleisreal

2015 Totals

2015 wasn't exactly the year I thought I'd have.  I thought there were be a new marathon PR and Boston qualifier.  I thought I would get to race triathlon age group nationals in Milwaukee.  But an major injury took out months and months of training and racing and everything changed.  That's okay.  Things happen for a reason.  I'm moving on and experiencing new things, like LOTS and LOTS of swimming.

Let's review 2015!

Swimming - 215,550 yards ~ 122.50 miles
I swam all year long, but I didn't begin a lot of swimming until I broke my hip.  Now I'm swimming nearly 10,000 yards a week and loving it. 

Biking - 473.85 miles
In preparation for nationals, I was really spending quality time on my bike and learning about power, etc.  When I broke my hip I stopped riding completely.  I don't envision myself riding for training any time in 2016.  There will be no triathlons this year.  I SWEAR!

Running - 710.72 miles
You know, for having to miss over three months of running, this is a pretty good number.  It's been a long time since I've had a year of 1000 miles.  Hopefully 2016 will be that year.  No injuries, please!!!!

Strength Training - 14.17 hours
Gosh, I wish this was a bigger number.  As I get older and can't put in the mileage I once did, I should really be getting stronger to hold everything together.  Maybe this should be a goal in 2016.

YMCA Visits - 184
Cost Per Visit - $4.53
I really used my Y membership this year.  Now that I work there, I'm starting to feel like I live there.  They should probably just stick a cot for me in a back room.

Races - 6
My races ranged from 5ks to the marathon to an aquathlon.  I love to race and would love to race all the time.  Coach doesn't love that idea so 2016 will probably be a little more strategic.  2016 will be a fast year.  I have nothing planned over the 10k-ish distance.  And maybe I'll do a swim meet.  Maybe.

Picture of the Day!!
Once of my goals for 2016 is to take more pictures.  I would love to say I'm going to do it every day in 2016, but let's be realistic.  Life is busy and is quite boring in the winter.  How may pictures of my kid sleeping do you need?

We got a babysitter this evening and went to see Star Wars 3D.  Dave had already seen it but I wanted to see it too.  It was really good.  But, I love the Star Wars franchise.  I'm not hard to please.

This Kid.

Foto Friday

Here we go!

Day #61 - A video!  I mean, how cute is this?

 Day #62 - Anderson actually asked to get his picture taken today.  This is what we got.

 #63 - Little buns doing my physical therapy Steamboats.

 Day #64 - Anderson kept asking to play soccer out in the yard.  How does he even know about soccer?  We never talk about soccer!

Day #65 - Riding bikes with the neighbor girl.  Where's your helmet, son?!

 Day #66 - Excavator + Wendy's = One Happy Boy!

 Day #67 - Grilled cheese and gang signs?

Foto Friday

I'm so behind.  I don't know where the last two weeks have gone but, obviously, no time has been devoted to this blog.  Get ready to be inundated with pictures...

Day #47 - Playing around with Grandpa.

 Day #48 - My brother-in-law is a real life farmer.  He took Anderson out on the combine.  I have to admit, I was jealous.

 Day #49 - National Ice Cream Day!!!

Day #50 - This was my Tonka truck when I was younger.  I remember it being much bigger.

 Day #51 - My parents, Anderson, and I went on a long bike ride around town.  We made it back just before the sun set.

 Day #52 - Anderson talks a lot about my tattoo, so I gave him one.  Like what it says?

Day #53 - How about a little #tbt?  He still had his baby fat and no teeth.

 Day #54 - I asked Anderson to smile and this is what I got.

Day #55 - The Home Depot.  Our second home.  Anderson looks so thrilled to be here again.

 Day #56 - This one is Anderson's "performance art."  Notice his feet on the drying rack?  He calls it "Bird in Tree."

 Day #57 - Lifeguard Anderson reporting for duty.

 Day #58 - My new t-shirt.  I mean, how cool is this?!

 Day #59 - I call this game Smooshie Face.  Anderson calls it Eat Mama's Face.

 Day #60 - Anderson loves to read.  I love that he loves to read.

Only 40 days left in this project and it's getting harder and harder.  I'm back into regular exercise (sort of) and started my job and we've been putting in a lot of hours in projects around the house.  Sometimes it's 10:00pm and I still haven't remembered to take a picture.  Must.Try.Harder!

Foto Friday

The #100HappyDays journey continues...

Day #40 - Anderson's first movie in the theatre.  We took him to see "The Minion Movie".  He did alright for about half of it and then he got restless.  Luckily we were able to corral him between us and let him stand up to watch the rest of the movie.  

Day #41 - Stopping to smell the flowers.  Anderson is so funny around flowers.  He always sniffs them.  I wish I had a video.  It's so funny.  I also wish I could claim these were my flowers.  My flower bed looks like shit.  That's putting it mildly.  These are my parents' flowers.

 Day #42 - R2D2-ish?  Anderson has never seen Star Wars and he won't for years, but he does love R2D2 and other robots.  He even has a t-shirt.  Here he is posing with R2D2 at our local Mellow Mushroom (pizza restaurant).

Day #43 - This kid.  Here he is half in pajamas, half in regular clothes, watching educational YouTube videos on my iPad.  

 

Day #44 - My niece is showing rabbits at the local fair this year.  We thought Anderson would think it was cool.  Instead, he was quite nervous and scared around the bunny.

 

Day #45 - This just looks like a mess waiting to happen.  Dave and Anderson planting some flowers they got me for Mother's Day.

 

 Day #46 - Yesterday afternoon.  We had a playground all by ourselves.  It's so wonderful to watch him enjoying childhood.