Lists of Stuff

1. I did my longest triathlon of all time for which I was pretty impressed with myself.
2. Jake did a Half Ironman..which was twice as long as the long triathlon I was so proud of one week earlier..crap.
3. We ran all over Kansas like wild people.
4. Jake ran off with our only working computer to referee camp last week so I couldn't tell anyone anything about it...

So here it is in chronological order. This is going to be a long post because I am too stooopid at computers to find a better way to do it. I am also typing on the world's smallest computer as mine died. It's crazy. This tiny, little schmini only does world wide web activities..no spreadsheets, Word applications, or any other truly functional programs that I am not smart enough to use. Yep, this little thing is only built for fun. Unfortunately...I can't even type a letter unless I am e-mailing it to someone. Oh well. Who needs to send a letter when you have Facebook?

1. Festival of Flowers Triathlon- So what did I do for my birthday and anniversary weekend? Well, I didn't drink any beer, did eat a bunch of carbs, aired up my bike tires, put on some spandex and got up at 4:30 in the morning, ran a race, and went and ate my anniversary dinner at IHOP. Now, now, not everyone steal Jake's idea for a fantastic "Birthiversary Weekend".

The triathlon was here in Greenwood and twice as long as anything I had done to that point so I was very nervous. It's a pretty darn popular course for all the surrounding states so it was fun to see all the different folks. Everything went about as well as it could as I didn't freak out in the water, fall off my bike, or pass out on the run. It was hot like crazy. Jake and I both placed 3rd in our divisions. Not a normal anniversary activity, but it was a fun thing to share. One year before we had run our first 5K together on our anniversary. Quite the difference a year makes! We then went and had beers with some of our friends that organized the event at a bar on the lake...still all stinky from the race. So what is really delicious after a triathlon and hanging out at a bar? IHOP for sure!

I didn't get to revel in my "triathlon impressiveness" with myself for long because two days later we headed to KS so Jake could do a distance that was twice as far...crap. I am never "the most awesome" for long in this household.

2. Ironman Kansas- So why wouldn't you go camping in Lawrence one night while home for a week? Another one of Jake and Hilary's truly fantastic plans. We shipped a bunch of our camping gear ahead of us to my parents' house so we would not have to pack it and fly with it. We luckily rented a SUV so we could actually fit it all in the car...would have been ugly otherwise. Kelly and Justin Law get major thanks for coming along on the ridiculous adventure. Not sure if they are speaking to us again yet, but at least they got to spend quite a few really quality hours with me staring at people run around us in spandex. They were really big troopers through the whole event for sure.

There were all sorts of famous triathlon people at this race, so that was pretty exciting for Jake and I. Jake did a great job of trying to stay "fun" while getting ready for the race while we were hanging out with my family the previous few days, and I will say that I did a pretty good job of being "fun" by dragging around all of our camping crap, driving us all over the place, and taking lots of really unfortunate pictures with our camera that I don't know how to operate...and getting up at 3:30 in the morning. Jake loved the race, but I don't think it looks like fun. I will stick to my short races! On a side note, they dressed a really famous triathlete (Chrissie Wellington- the winner) up like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz when she crossed the finish line... That was re-enforcement of an unfortunate stereotype I fight everyday...

3. Running Around Kansas- Big thanks to everyone who made the time to see us as we ran through the state like crazy. We only slept in the same place two nights in a row. It was a lot of going for sure. All my sisters made it to town so it was a ton of fun. My aunt Martha and cousin Mary were great hostesses for us while we ate and slept. I got to go on a great run around areas I used to live and still hold a special place in my heart. I love Kansas City. Not sure I could ever live there again because it is just too big, but I sure love that place.

There were a few REALLY big thunderstorms while we were home. I had forgotten about how crazy those can be. I dragged Jake's half asleep rear end downstairs thinking we were both going to blow away. I LOVE BASEMENTS because we don't have them in South Carolina and there is no where to go when there is a tornado. I had no idea how much I missed them. I still haven't lived down dragging Jake to the basement yet because he thought I was being a weenie.

4. Jake Running with the Computer- We were only home two days before Jake took off again for "Referee Camp". He doesn't enjoy me calling it that. I am pretty sure it is just a bunch of old refs sitting around telling stories and being jackasses. He says they work and I guess I believe him! So he splits leaving me with a broken computer...dangit. I have managed to forget most of the good stories.. Oh well. Now I am caught up, and now that I have a computer again I can try and stay on top of it!