Saying goodby to my best buddy

Today was a hard day. After a lot of great years, we had to put Luke to sleep. He became sick a few months ago but was holding his own and doing well. Unfortunately, he got much worse this weekend and went downhill fast. This morning I knew it was time, when Shawn got home he agreed. We were able to stay with him until the end and for a few minutes after. My heart has a hole but it was the right thing to do.

Week One

This is a big week and it's not really over yet. It's the official start of Ironman training. It really hasn't been long hours of training or anything but to go from zero activity to having workouts everyday (sometimes two a day), is a lot. A funny thing happens to me when I kick-start my body with exercise. I get hungry. Ravenously hungry. My hunger kicked in on Wednesday evening. I think I've been eating ever since. Remember as a kid when Fred and Wilma Flintstone go to the drive-in restaurant and they order the HUGE rack of ribs that tips over their car... I could eat that. And I really don't like ribs (don't get me started on the whole bone-in-meat thing).



I've realized that the next few months are going to be a long, hard road but the end-goal is worth it so I'll suffer in silence (unless of course I vent here, which I will do) and know that I will get through it unscathed. And hopefully with the addition of an ab or two.

Not much else. More to come later. Until then, I'll be planning my next meal.

Welcome to the Twenty Ten.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas was awesome. We spent Christmas in Arkansas and had a blast. And I got an awesome new cookbook which will yield some wonderful meals and I'm sure a few kitchen disasters. As they happen, you will hear. Trust me. I've been known to set off the smoke detectors.

I can't believe it's already January 2010. I'm really not a sentimental person or have emotional attachments to the passage of time but I'm really looking forward to 2010.

Let's just say that 2009 was filled with ups and downs. The ups were awesome. The downs really sucked. And climbing out of life's emotional holes takes a toll on ya. But I'm 'super-Pollyanna' optimistic of what 2010 has in store. Here's what you all will be hearing lots about over the next several months.

IRONMAN!!!

It's hard to believe that Ironman Coeur d' Alene is just 5 months and 25 days away. I remember signing up a year ago. I was sitting on the couch completing the online entry form. Sweating. Sweating so bad my palms were wet. When I hit submit and received the confirmation I thought I was going to have a panic attack. I'm still really nervous. And excited. And anxious. And overwhelmed with what completing that race will require. But I also look forward to crossing the finish line. It's a moment I look forward to and the moment that will get me through all the upcoming early mornings, late nights, long weekend workouts, cold, wind, rain, and persevering for 13, 14+ hours on race day. More to come on that. I promise. Training officially starts January 4. Enjoying the last two days of laziness.

An End to Homelessness
My living situation has been less than ideal this year. But Shawn and I are on our way to building our home. At this point we are waiting on the final financing paperwork and we close in a few weeks. Then the build commences. I promise lots of posts on the house. There will be a zillion things to pick out and I will need thoughts and opinions. Here is the latest concept. There will be some tweaks to the design but nothing major.


I have a few other things to look forward to but I'm keeping them to myself since they are more personal and just things I need to do to become a better friend, companion, and passenger on life's journey.

That's all for now. Happy New Year.

Aloha.

I'm happy to report that our trip to Hawaii was absolutely incredible and we made it there and home safely. I'm sorry to report that we had to come home. :(

We left last Monday for Maui, a much deserved and long-overdue vacation. We packed our bags, dropped Luke off at the puppy palace (let me tell you boarding a dog is 'spensive!) and hauled our cookies to DFW, where we were met with a nice surprise -- upgrade cleared. Thank goodness. I wasn't looking forward to 8+hours in row 11.

Here we are getting settled in for the long flight.



When we finally arrived, we were greeting with a trade wind, mountain and ocean views and a rainbow.



There was a lot to do and we made the most of every day. The first day we hiked to the top of the volcano to watch the sun rise. Magical. And cold. It was 23 degrees at the top. Once the sun was up we hoped in bikes and rode down. Fun times.




We also drove the Hana Highway. Everything you heard about it is true. It's breathtakingly beautiful but a gnarly road. On the side of cliffs, no guardrails, one lane in many directions, you have to hug the side of the road when oncoming traffic needs to pass. But it was worth it. I think being the driver helped. Shawn said being a passenger was a bit scary. One of our stops along the way. Behold the beauty of Mother Nature.



We spent one day at our hotel beach lounging around, trying all the drinks on the menu, and snorkeling. The surf was rough so the visibility wasn't the best but the water was crystal clear, we did see lots of fish, and even swam with a few giant sea turtles. I wish I had an underwater camera.

If you ever go to Maui I have to recommend Mama's Fish House. The best seafood meal I've ever eaten and one of the best meals I've had. Lick your plate good!



Although I am glad to be home, it was hard to leave. It was a perfect week. I now know why so many people go to Hawaii annually. I plan to get back there as frequently as possible.

I have tons more pics on facebook. Check em out.

Aloha y'all.

The Holiday's Are Officially Here!

I love this time of year. There is just something about the Holiday's that makes me excited.

Since Shawn is working this week we couldn't travel to our family for Thanksgiving so we hosted dinner at our place. It was just a few friends and us but we had a really nice time together. I cooked. And I've never cooked this type of food before. I went online found a few recipes (that were all labeled easy and had good reviews), did my shopping, and then dashed to the kitchen to create my masterpieces.

First off, a raw turkey is gross. It had this liquid stuff in the bag, its insides were all crammed up in its cavity, its neck was shoved up its butt, and I had to pull all that nastiness out. Then it got a bath and was off to the roasting pan. The recipe was pretty simple. The turkey turned out really good. This recipe is a keeper and I think would also work nice with a chicken. Chicken is more my style anyway.

While I was busy in and out of the kitchen all day the rest of the peeps in the house were busy noshing and drinking. When the night was over and I was cleaning up I had four empty bottles of wine and one half-bottle left. There were only six of us. HHHHmmmmm, some people slept well last night.

I didn't take any pictures yesterday. Should have and regret not thinking of it.

While Shawn was working today I decided that it's time to start celebrating Christmas. The house is now ready.




I know the top of the tree is crooked. I'll fix it. There are lots of things I'm noticing that I'll mess with over the weekend.

Speaking of this weekend... big plans! We are doing all our pre-vacation shopping. Picking up all the last minute things that we need to bring like sun block, shampoo, that kind of stuff. Then it's off to Hawaii. I'm so excited and looking forward to a week away from it all. I'm just not looking forward to the flight. 8+hours and I don't travel well.

I hope everyone had an incredible Thanksgiving and your Christmas is starting to be merry.

Hiatus Recovery

I know. I know. I took to much time off and now have to write a novel just to fill everyone in on the last few weeks.

Last update was post Redman Half-Ironman. Yes, I had a cruddy race but I finished! Shawn took this pic while I was on the run. I have to say I LOVE this picture.


Once my race over it was time for Shawn’s race. It was his first Olympic distance race. Jumping form a Sprint distance to Olympic distance is hard. He did awesome! Here's a pic of him coming down the home stretch.


A little story about this race. Shawn is not a runner. He could be a great runner but he slacks on his run training. Prior to this race he had been complaining of foot pain and all his sneakers giving him blisters. And after the race he had been complaining about his foot hurting even more. Excuses. Excuses. Turns out his foot was fractured. He had been running on it for a few with it broken. When he finally went to the Dr. all they could do was give him a boot to wear. Which he didn't and hasn't worn. So, no more excuses. His next race, I'm making sure he has lots of runs in his workouts. Time to pick up the pace.

After our races were over it was time to veg out for a bit and enjoy some free time. We hit the State Fair on the last weekend with our friends Robert and Gayle. We had a blast. If it was fried, we ate it. And we even got up the nerve to ride a carnival ride. I'm not a fan of carnival rides. I just don't have complete faith that the rides are the most safe. But we threw caution to the wind anyway and jumped on the Crazy Mouse. It was part roller coaster and part tilt-a-whirl. And one spin on the Crazy Mouse was enough for me. I'm much better at eating at the fair than riding the rides.


Shawn and I then jetted to NYC for a few days. It was my Dad's 60th birthday so we all went out for dinner. I had the privilege of sitting next to my nephew Jake. I love Jake. He's the kid that you can't help but laugh at. When we ordered our dinner he ordered the biggest, most expensive thing on the menu. The Prime Rib. It was like something out of the Flintstones. A side of beef, cooked medium just how he requested it, arrived to the table. I had to help him cut it so I got my exercise while eating. Behold the mammoth...


And he ate almost the whole thing. Ugh. I'm full just thinking about it. Oh, and in case you are wondering, I ordered the grilled chicken with a sweet potato and broccoli. I went healthy. The Prime Rib tasted much better.

Now, a lot has happened over the last few weeks. But one area is still a glaring hole of zero progress -- the house. Yes my friends, I am still homeless. We are going to build but between contracts, builder agreements, estimating the build cost, we still have not formally contracted a thing. I know building takes time but weeks have passed and nothing has changed. The good news is that we should have the final contracts shortly and once everything is signed, the project should start moving quickly. Hopefully before Thanksgiving. (Which is code for HAWAII!!!!!) Looking forward to vacation. Me on a beach doing NOTHING at all sounds so exciting. I even have my books selected that I am going to read. I know, I'm such a geek but I do love a good book.

Speaking of books -- Merk -- I'm almost done with the last Twilight book. We'll have to chat when I am done. I have lots of opinions. I'm definitely team Jacob. I think Edward and Alice are manipulating little SOB's. And Bella annoys me because she continually makes bad decisions. Charlie needs to step up, intervene is his daughters life, and get her back on track. And I also know it's a bit too late for that because Bella is all vampired up. Jacob has imprinted on Bella's baby. And the whole time Charlie and Renee never ONCE knocked down the Cullen's door and demanded to see their "sick" kid. Yes, I know these people aren't real but I feel like I need to hop on a plane to Forks and give these people a piece of my mind.

Lastly, just because this is my blog and I can do what I want, I'm posting my new favorite pic. Shawn and I don't have many pics. Not sure why. You'd think we were in the witness protection program or something. But this one was snapped at a race over the summer and I like it. Once we have a house, I'll get this framed and put it on a bookshelf or mantle or something. Assuming we have a mantle.



Last item. Today is a birthday day for lots of my peeps. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Aunt Janet, Uncle Dennis, and Sharon!

That's all for now. I promise I'll try to update this more regularly.

Y'All, I've Been a Bad Blogger

I know. Weeks have passed with no updates or no new content. I've been slacking. Stay tuned. News and updates to start again. But not just yet. I have to slack for just a bit longer.