Fall is here and I thought Summer went fast.....I have on the calendar to start thinking about Christmas!! How time flies!!
I blog mostly for easy connection with my parents ~ here you go Dad and Mom.

I put highlight pics in a Fall album and put a comment with each one. If you want to see the pic. better just click on them and they get bigger then you can scroll down just a bit to see the comment. Enjoy.

I love you guys!!

 Memorial Day was not as hot and sunny as we had hoped but it was warm enough for the kids to get into the pool and turn bluish

It was a day of  little activity for the adults , just what we all needed!!

 

I signed up for my first olympic distance triathlon this month, spontaneously. I've been planning to do 2 this summer but was thinking it would be at the end of the summer. However, I am on vacation for a week and this one fits my schedule beautifully, we are even going to camp as a family!!

I've done 6 Sprint distance triathlons, but the Olympic distance is a whole new experience and beast to conquer. The race is 1500m swim lake water with wet suits allowed due to the water temp of 61F  followed by a 40K bike ride (25 miles) and then a 10K "scenic trail run through the state park" (6.2 miles).

On paper "scenic trail run through the state park" sounds lovely, pretty even. I know state parks have wonderful paved bike trails so this was the expectation I went with. Little did I know it was a real " trail run" on the hiking trails of the park. I decided that I had better get at least one 6 mile run accomplished before the race so I could tell myself , "don't quit, you've done this before!!" . I did my first ever 6 mile distance run on Monday and the race would be the following Saturday.

We arrive at Pokagon State Park Friday evening , in the rain. Set up our pop-up camper inbetween rain showers.Decided on forgoing a soggy attempt at cooking hotdogs and went to the Inn for a warm buffet supper (good choice).Then went to check out the transition area and beach so I would know where to go early the next morning. Having never been there. I was aghast at the distance from beach to transition area and the hill I would have to run up! If only I had realized that was just one of the many, many hills I would have to conquer the next day.

 

Thunder, lightening and jitterbug nerves kept me awake until early in the morning. I kept praying the storm would blow over and break into a sunny day on Sat. but it was not meant to be. I woke up to grey haze with no glimmer of sun!! Boo hoo! It was cold and damp with rivets on either side of the road where the storm had rushed down the hill. Thankfully I had taken a thin thermal top with long sleeves, I ended up wearing the whole race (with exception of the swim). As I head down to the transition area and start seeing the other participants/competitors I am struck at the difference in the people from the Sprint races. These people are fit, strong, have all their gear (which looks well used), no one is asking questions (which to me , means this is not new to them), "hammer dogs" ~ as one of my friends calls them~  there really isn't much loud boisterous talking and mingling among the crowd ~ I'm impressed and just a little intimidated. I know this race is a national qualifier for people who are serious but I didn't really expect it to bring in those people just due to the location ~  I'm dead wrong! I'm starting to wonder what I got myself into,  my nerves are about frazzled and I haven't even started!! Excited/nervous/worried... I get the wet suit on (which I've only tried once in a pool 3 days ago), Teddy with the girls arrive cheering me on. Their arrival  helps my nerves considerably!!

 

 

Going over rules , USAT regulations and safety measures...

 

I was so impressed at how warm I stayed with the wet suit. Swimming was the most enjoyable part of the race and doing the longer distance allows you to settle into your pace. The wind started to pick up on the way back making the waves bigger...I swallowed a few mouthfuls. I even got to swim with a fish ; as I finish the swim I am climbing out of the water when I remember I was told to take the wet suit halfway off in the water because it's easier. So I backed up a bit and squatted down but then couldn't get a hold of my zipper, my arms felt heavy and that motion felt like I was trying to move an arm that had fallen asleep. Teddy was there as I crossed the clock mat and I held onto him to pull the rest of my wet suit off, if he hadn't of been there I would have fallen taking it off, the cold water in my ears made me a little dizzy. Got the wet suit off and up the stairs I go to transition.

 

I made myself slow down, catch my breath as I washed off my feet. Putting my socks on and I realized it was drizzling. Darn it!! I have to bike in the rain!! I put on my long sleeved thin thermal shirt ~ I'm so glad I have it! Helmet on, leave my sunglasses (won't be needing them today) and grab the bike. I got to use an incredible bike for this race. I have a friend at work that has a carbon fiber frame bike with all DurAce Shimano components and I am thrilled at the opportunity to use it. I haven't even used it , I just got it out of the bike shop 1 day ago (getting it season ready). I'm also a bit freaked out because I've heard horror stories of those thin tires hydroplanning on wet roads ~ oh well, here it goes anyway!!  I saw as fast as 30 mph and as slow as 10 mph going up a hill into a head wind. The bike was very hilly, windy and it rained most of it. I remember thinking, "I've never shifted so many gears on a bike in my life!!"  The last couple miles I passed a lady in my age group (I later find out it's just the two of us in the 30-35 age group) and am psyched because she was already on the way back when I was still on my way out. "Keep ahead of her!" is pounding repeatedly through my brain.

 

 

I gulped down some SPARK in transition and was so filled with adrenaline that I started to move out of the transition area and into the run with my helmet still on. I realize it and throw it at someone on the sidelines yelling my name (it was on my bike when I got back ); I still hadn't realized that the "scenic run" was on hiking trails. I turn the bend and we head into the bush.......up the washed out trails....down into the ankle deep mud puddles that you couldn't really side step....up another gravely hill, down into more mud ( it was at mile 1 I realized the whole run was going to be like this , so much for pretty! Try pretty grueling!!)....the lady I had passed at the end of the bike is somehow magically  behind me!!  I push a little harder to keep her back there...then my legs start screaming and I have to walk (even just for a couple steps) she walks up that hill too (thank you , Jesus!! ) So we run together for awhile, not talking (unlike the Sprint races, I gabbed with whoever). At about mile 3 , my left knee that has been doing so good starts to pinch, I decide to walk just to take the edge off. "The other lady" passes me, rounds a corner , up a hill...and that's the last I see of her (she finishes 5 min. ahead of me). I did a lot of groaning and grouching the last 3 miles. It was raining, cold, up/down/up/down those hills. My mental fortitude was gone!! So I looked at my watch and decided that I could walk/run but I had to get done in the time I had set for myself. So I pushed a little harder....FINALLY , I can hear voices and music and I hear myself cheering me on...kinda in an out-of-body sort of way...By now my knee is really hurting and I think I'm done , I round a corner and there is one more ginormous hill....I hear myself say out loud, " are you kidding me?!!" .  I run through the finish line and I finished 30 sec. less than my personal goal. I flop to the ground and am a little embarrassed to say, shed a few tears ~ at least I know I laid it all out there!!

Finished 3:19:32 ( have lots to improve on but I am proud of finishing)!!! The time on the clock is from the very beginning when the guys started...

Swim: 34:40 ~ Trans 1 (3:31) ~ Bike ( 1:27:48 = 16.9mph/average) ~ T2 ( 58 sec) ~ Run ( 1:12 = 11:41 min/mile average)

First week of school:

We did it! Tues and Wed went well and I thought maybe all the wrinkles in my mind were smoothing out...then I went back to work! I don't think it's necessarily school that makes me feel like all my time is spoken for, it's adding work into the mix. I realize I have made these choices and at any time I could choose something different ; I just have to find what schedule works for everyone in the family....

We found a bonus day....Indiana Homeschool Support out of New Paris does school on Fridays for homeschoolers. Science/Art/Music/ Gym/Spanish/Computers/ Intramural Volleyball /Field Trips. We are so excited! They get to do stuff that I want them to be able to experience and I get some time that is "unspoken for". Yeah!!

 

 

                                                          CAMP CROSLEY 2008

 

The girls and I went to camp July 27 - Aug. 2. I went in the role as one of the two Camp Nurse's and the girls went to have a blast (which they did).  There is a little history with this camp that I find amusing. Camp Crosley is located on Lake Tippicanoe and some friends of our have a boat at the marina on that lake. I saw Camp Crosley's waterfront about 6 years ago and told myself that I would find out what camp that was and get my kids there because it looked like so much fun.....it is indeed fun

I have graduated to Camp Nurse, this too gives me a chuckle. I was a camper at one time , moved up to councellor/lifegaurd . I remember thinking , "when I have kids that are the age for camp, I think being camp nurse would be fun" . It felt like I accomplished a few goals this past week. Some goals take a little longer than others to accomplish!

Being Camp Nurse was fun (it will be even more fun next year now that I know what to expect and how to organize). There were 243 campers the week I was there, 58 were medicated and 80 meds were required to be passed out daily. We only saw minor scrapes , some headaches, tummy aches, homesickness. With all the possible injuries from all the available activities we were very content with the minor complaints/injuries!! 

I was thrilled to make a new friend, camp is usually good for accomodating that , but it came as a pleasant surprise anyway I have a lot of pics to share if interested so here they are!

We were responsible for cabin inspections. We had fun see the cabins write us notes and and sometimes leave us candy in hopes for brownie points. We tried to get creative back. The daily winning cabin was awarded the "Silver Broom".

This next poster says, " You'd have to be a Dum Dum to not know our nurses are GREAT!" They laid out dum dum suckers on the poster for us....pretty clever at getting brownie points

The names of the main campus cabins with kids that required daily meds.

We got a little extra creative in figuring out how to keep the medications sorted and in cabin groups. We took metal paper clips and made hooks out of them , we then put the hooks onto a broom handle and the broom handle fit perfectly on a towel hook in the bathroom. Voila!! ORGANIZATION, BABY!!

More brownie points!! Boy, did we feel loved

 

We got some R & R too, in the afternoon so that was really nice. Caught some rays, read a book, learned how to make hemp bracelets/necklaces and got to know my new friend, Terri.

Jacinda did Day Camp which means that she checked in at 9 AM and checked back out at 5PM ; the inbetween times she hung out with me and slept in my cabin. Worked great! We had fun jumping on the jumpy pillow  and  feeding the horses fallen apples from the trees. She had tons of fun too, swimming, big black slide, carpet ball, game room, field games, etc.

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The picture right above with Jacinda an Syreeta is about them singing a song that allows them to pick up their mail. I had been told the kids have to do this so I prepackaged up an evalope for every day (notebook, pencil crayons, headbands, mini coloring book). They thought it was very funny to have to get up and yell this silly little song, " Grey Squirrel, Grey Squirrel, swish your bushy tail , grey squirrel , grey squirrel swish your bushy tail, wrinkle up your funny nose, put a nut between your toes, grey squirrel, grey squirrel, swish your bushy tail."

 

Shira and Iclimbed the iceberg together. The iceberg is a 50 ft floating climbing berg in the water. Very cool.

   

Shira loved the horses and her horse just happened to be named, Teddy Bear! Go figure! She liked archery and kayaking too. She thinks next year she'll sign up for waterskiing!

Syreeta loved it all.She's usually my home body but when I asked her if she was getting homesick she said, " ummm, NO, not even a little bit!!" She is so excited that next year she'll be old enough to ride horses.

Maybe I've infected you with the camp bug for next year?!!