End of Year BLURRRR - The Kudos

There are Kudos all around at our casa, and some have the trophies to prove it. (me? I have a medal, but no one will tolerate me wearing it. sigh.)

The end of the school year had a piano recital. I swear there was much more enthusiasm displayed during the recital. He was confidant and eager to play.




Then there was the culmination of an entire season of 'black tiger' growling. Not much of a growl here, but you can just imagine it at every game.



the action shot!




Our youngest got to jump around at places other than his bed and the sofa.



He is also an expert head stander, which he also practices on the sofa, yelling at me to "get off the ceiling mom!"






And then there was me. I did it! My goal was to finish the Danskin triathlon without dying. I admit, not a lofty goal, but mine nonetheless. Don't I look all fierce here?



I'm looking a lot less fierce at the here, just red-faced and sweaty, but hey! notice the not dying!



I started the whole event nervous, apprehensive and overwhelmed. There were TONS of people. Where is the buoy I'm supposed to swim out to? Am I standing with the right group to get started? Did my family make it here yet? Do I see anybody I know? Are my goggles gonna leak? Will these new shorts work for the swim and the bike? Look at how many cancer survivors are here today, how can I be fretting about goggles and shorts when others have made it through so much more?

I was alone in a swarm of people, all preparing to do something amazing. It was a little emotional.

And then I swam. It was a good swim. I don't think I ever got a good sightline of the buoy I was supposed to swim to, but I followed the herd enough to get there. It's hard to swim with so many people all around you, on top of you, under you, but I managed. In the pool, I can swim the half mile in 15 minutes easily. With the swarm I finished in 20. I emerged in great spirits to get ready to ride - still scanning the crowd for anyone who might be there to cheer me on -- and YES! there was Jesse! Can't even describe the boost I got just from seeing the glimpse of his face and hearing him cheer. It was awesome.

And then I had to pee. Which seemed to take forever and a day (and with a timing chip strapped to my ankle I know just how long forever and a day really was - 6 minutes.)

F i n a l l y on the bike I pass my family on the way to the event -- passed them too quickly to even see them, but I heard them. Hey! This is fun. I feel like I'm going really really fast! WHEEEE! (Thank you Uncle Tommy for loaning me your fast bike!) There were two tricky hills on the route and they slowed me down, but not as much as I feared. Then came the run. And this is where I took stock: the swim felt good and it was fun. The 12 mile bike felt good too and it was fun. But this 3 mile run? Not feeling fun. It was work. I do have to thank the heavens for answering my prayers with a decent bit of cloud cover and a breeze; it could have been A LOT hotter. I ran as much as I could and walked whenever I felt like it. People passed me whether I was walking or running. But I did it.

And this is my favorite shot of all, courtesy of my friend Anthony. I like it because it shows some of the happy faces I got to see at the finish. The friends who gave me hugs, words of encouragement, advice, a hand drawn sign urging me to "TRI HARD!" and a great big cheer at the end.



Thanks Ya'll. See you next year!