Countdown to Michigan

We leave for Michigan in two days. We are excited. Robert has not seen his friends up there since the wedding and beyond. Did I mention we are going there for a wedding? I guess you want to know about the race Saturday. Well, first it was a tour not a race (Tour de Oink - only in Arkansas). I was not aware of the difference but a tour is just a ride that many people go on and is not timed. I'm not sure of the point of that but apparently it is common. 5k or 15 mile?? Well, I was convinced to do the 40 mile but it rained Saturday morning so I did nothing!!! I was completely ready to go at 7:15 and could see the clouds moving in. I checked the weather report and it did not look good and by 8:00 it was raining. I went back to bed. So, next up is the 5k on July 12th after I get back from MI. My running has not improved and that is frustrating so the race should be interesting. Hopefully there will be something to say about adrenaline and how it can help performance.
We 3 went to the farmer's market Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day inside due to rain. The sun was back out by Sunday and we went to Lake Beaverfork just north of Conway. That is where the triathlon will be held and I wanted to swim in the lake to see what it would be like. First, it was nasty; so dirty. Not pleasant at all. Second, there are rocks on the beach leading into the water so I do not know how people just run in. I have sensitive feet and will be asking around to get the scoop on that. Third, I swam out and back to this buoy about 50-60 yards out. I almost freaked out approaching it the first time thinking about getting bitten by something or just touching an unknown object in murky water. I had to get that out of my mind. When I got back to Robert I asked, "What could get me out there anyway? It's not like there are sharks." He said, "water moccasins/snakes". Oh lovely! I feel like I did a decent job with the current and my siting. With no blue line to follow like in the pool I have to get my head up from time to time to keep on course. I plan to get a few more swims in before the race. I don't look forward to it after the time it took to clean all the silt out of my suit. I almost barfed when I saw what I was wearing!! Training is still a great challenge that keeps me going although I have had to take it easy lately so as not to get burned out.
On the JJ front nothing to new to report. He is walking faster and interacting with Scout much more. It is fun to watch them play together. I almost got a video uploaded tonight but am missing a cord. It will happen eventually so stay tuned to see JJ in action!

15 months

JJ is just past the 15 month old mark. He is still small for his age. We ordered the next step up for a car seat but he's one pound shy of qualifying to sit in it. We have noticed some slight manipulation techniques he is starting to use. When it is time for bed he will conveniently tell me he would like something to eat before bed even after he was just offered milk which he pushed away. I'm sure this is a precursor to fun times ahead :). There has not been much to report. I went on a 26 and 35 mile ride in the past week with a group of people here. I enjoy the camaraderie and making friends with people who share the same interests. There is a race this weekend close to Conway. I can't decide a) if I want to do it and b) will I do the 5k run or 15 mile bike race. I've never done a bike race so it would probably be good experience. I have 5k race coming up in July. Running is my weakest link right now. I feel strong in swimming and biking. I rotate my workouts incorporating all three. I haven't run in a few days so I'm anxious to see if my biking will make a difference in my running. It is supposed to help. Before we know if we will be heading to Michigan. I'm trying to plan a visit to OKC but it is not a convenient trip to plan not to mention the gas. July will be a busy month with two out of town trips. We'll get there eventually.

Two more coming in...

Finally! JJ has two more teeth coming in on the bottom on each side of his existing two teeth. He is growing so much. He is a full-time walking machine. He is so cute to watch as he takes itty bitty baby steps. He is "talking" much more too.
Karen was here for a week and the time passed quickly. It was nice to get out a few times on my own.
I am officially going to the Young Lives camp in Arizona toward the end of July. There are four mentors, including myself, and nine girls with their babies. We all fly to the camp and stay there for the week. It will be a fun, challenging time and I am looking forward to it. My only worry is being away from JJ only because I will miss him so much. I've never spent a night away from him so it will be a first for us. Karen will come back and take care of him with Robert. He will be in good hands, I will just miss him.
In early July we are all going to Michigan for a wedding. I went there to meet Robert's close friends when we first started dating. He lived there several years going to school and working with GM. It will be a good trip and Robert will get to experience JJ on the plane. How nice to have back-up for once.
JJ has had one week of swim lessons. He is the youngest in the class. There are two other 20-month old boys. No matter, JJ is the only one who goes under the water. He loves class. I continue to train for the triathlon. It has been a great journey so far.
Robert comes home tomorrow from being away two weeks. He has missed his family greatly and we too are looking forward to having him home. His birthday is the 16th and then Father's Day. He'll be home just in time!

Vistor comes to town

We are almost through our first week of no Robert. He is having to study a lot for this class he is taking for work. I'm so glad I'm not reliving that nightmare of school. JJ has been upgraded to "walking" so I got an extra hour of working out today. I was elated so after spinning I swam 700 yds. Each time I swim I am more and more comfortable doing it. It makes me excited for the race. I know I still have a lot of training to do. I feel real good about things since I have cut down/out sweets, chips, eating out (fast food), and soda. I have a bit every once in awhile because I have bad cravings and gosh darn-it I think I've earned it! I'm enjoying the transformation.
Robert's mom Karen is coming in tonight to stay for a week. She is coming to help out while Robert is away. It will be so nice to have that help. She is going to come to the fitness center with us and take water aerobics. I will finally get to attend the cycling group next week. That is all we have going on here. We have another softball game tonight and then off to the airport. JJ and I start swim lessons next week. He is going to LOVE it.

Much more friendly skies!

As the title suggests, coming home from Oregon was much more successful. JJ partially slept on each flight. It was still a long day but we arrived last Monday after 11pm. Our time in Etna spent with Freda and Bob was wonderful. We didn't do much really but it was time spent together. On our last day there, Bob, who was a mountain guide, took us to the peak of the valley for a great view. We set foot on the Pacific Crest Trail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Crest_Trail) and walked on snow. This was ironic since I knew back home Robert was in hot, humid weather. Northern California is very beautiful. Staying with Freda and Bob was very enlightening to me. They live a simple life and eat very healthy food. This observation continued in Portland. JJ and I ended up taking the short flight from Medford, OR to Portland to avoid the long drive. My friend Caroline from high school picked us up from the airport. She is a law professor there and also litigtes cases with the students. There was one nice day in Portland and it rained the other days. We mostly shopped. There is no sales tax there and there are many outlets for all the popular outdoor brands (a.k.a. Columbia). I got some great deals on clothes for Robert and myself. I went to a couple of grocery stores there and love how healthy the options are. It is a huge difference from the Midwest. All produce is organic and other choices lean toward a healthy lifestyle. I wish that kind of choice was available in our region. There are bike lanes everywhere and this positive way of life is mainstream there. That is not to take away from the many good things about where we live - just a noticeable difference. We were gone a total of 9 days. It was a long trip and we were glad to be home. JJ did great with the time change on both ends. He's so flexible! It took several days getting settled in here for me though. Robert did some great work on the garage and other organizing but clean the house he did not. Since being home I have tried to adapt a Freda-like diet into our home. My biggest revelation is how bad High Fructose Corn Syrup is for our bodies. I really want to cut soda out of my diet. That is enemy #1 with the HFCS. I feel safe to say at this point that I am training for a Sprint Triathlon here in Conway in September. Training daily and cutting out the sweets I have already dropped 5 lbs. I'm really excited about the challenge. It is a 500 yd. swim, 15 mile bike and 3 mile run. I can do each of those segments individually now but am training to gain the endurance to do them consecutively. I was reading a magazine in the dentist's office about this lady who did her first tri. I thought, if she can do it I can. The more thought I gave it I was sold on the idea. So that is what I do each day and JJ enjoys his time socializing in the playcenter. He is taking steps now in longer and longer stretches. He is not a full-time walker but so close. He continues to be such a joy to both of us. Robert left today for two weeks of training in Albuquerque, NM. Karen, his mother, is coming here Friday for a visit and to help out while Robert is gone. I think we will have fun together. Sorry for the long blog and distance between entries. Check out our trip pics on the Picasa album site. Be sure to participate in the poll on this page!