For Angel

My sister was tagged by a friend who challenged her to post the fourth picture in the fourth folder on her computer. She made a very subtle hint on her blog for me to do the same, so here it is:

We went out to dinner with my parents, and I got this photo of Izzy eating squid. She is such a funny girl! It was a really fun night with lots of yummy food. Thanks again mom and dad!

Triathlon

It's over! I actually did it. The tri was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and it wouldn't have been possible without Luke cheering me on. I am very proud that I finished, and hopefully next year I will beat my time. It ended up taking me 1 hour and 5 minutes, which is better than I expected.

I think the look on my face explains how excited I was to get into the pool. I'm not going to lie--the swim sucked. It was most definately my weak point, and something I will work on. A lot.

After getting out of the pool, my legs felt like jelly. Just walking over to my bike was a challenge, and I knew the first half of the course was uphill. Not cool. There were no ipods allowed, either, so I had no music to get me pumped. It's amazing what a difference music makes to me, so I was pretty bummed. A little 'Welcome to the Jungle' would have been very helpful at this point.

Ok, so the run wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My legs were so weak when I got off the bike, and I knew it was going to be tough. As soon as I came around the first corner, though, there were Izzy and Dylan, cheering me on. Luke was right there, too, and all the support really kept me going.

Crossing the finish line was awesome, and I was so happy to see Liz and Amy there, too. What a morning! It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without my friends doing it with me, and I think we are pretty much rock stars for participating.

After relaxing for a bit and grabbing a bite to eat, we did a little hiking. The weather was perfect, and Isabelle and Dylan love to be outside. They found this 'mini' delicate arch and hiked to the top. Awesome.

Last time we were in St. George, we went to the same place to hike, and Izzy kept jumping over the ditch in the picture below. Dylan couldn't quite make it last time, but this time he was money. They are both getting so big!

The sun started to set, and we were off to get ice cream with Amy and Ben and the kids. Little desert creatures started coming out to enjoy the cool evening, so we turned back and headed for the car. Luke stopped to take a picture of this spider. Yuck.

It was a great weekend. It was exhausting, but well worth it. I think Luke is going to enter with me next year, as well as Izzy. There is a kid's tri the same morning, and she seemed really excited about entering. Atta girl!
Thanks to everyone who wished me luck and sent good vibes my way on Saturday morning. It really meant a lot!

5 days to go...

So it's here--the week before the triathlon. Yikes! I am really looking forward to this challenge, but I have a feeling it's going to kick my butt. OK, it is definately going to kick my butt. It's kind of nice to think that next week at this time, it will all be over. As nervous as I am, I'm really excited for a weekend away from teaching dance, getting away from the cold, and time with my awesome friend Amy and her cute husband Ben and their darling kids. We get to meet up with Liz and Anton for dinner on Friday night, and Blue Bunny is a must Saturday after the girls have napped. I hope we have enough energy to swim, hike, and do a little bit of shopping after the race.

I am wearing Izzy's bike helmet, and Dylan's goggles for good luck. I got a fortune cookie that said:

Achievement is one percent aspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

I'll let you know how true that is next Sunday. I'm sure there may be at least one post with pictures before we take off. Wish me luck! I need it!

Gotta Love Tina

Love or hate Palin, this is funny.