Banger

Ok. Since my last post - I've learned quite a bit about the Canadian Saying "Bang On". I don't know if it's because I'm so freaking puking positive or that I'm from the mid west - but I see it as a positive saying! Kind of like "awesome job" you can say "Bang on job!" Well according to some of the comments - it could also mean prostitute as well as a head banger. Still. I like the saying :) Thanks Canada!!

So, Hurricane Chloe is still ravaging the gulf coast. Well, it's not a hurricane, and it's not called Chloe. But it's been raining freaking cats and dogs the past THREE days. (I've always wanted there to be a hurricane named Chloe - but I guess that would not be good since I'm a property insurance agent). But this is a good thing because it's making me taper for New Orleans. WHICH IS FREAKING A WEEK FROM TOMORROW!! So pumped. Anyway - I'm stuck on my trainer today. But I'm also cleaning house since mom and dad will be here tonight. That can count as a workout - right? So nothing too exciting going on training wise.


View from our patio

Yesterday was friday and I had a frustrating day at work. No detail needed, but I was so excited it was friday. It was one of those days where at 4:00 I could mentally not work. So what is the cure? Ahhh..a pedicure. Just 45 minutes in the chair can make you a new person. And I picked out a color just because of the name - "Suzie and the Lifeguard". Love it. But I went to a new place - and one look at my toes, the lady said "What do you do to your feet all day?" Whoops. Didn't realize they where that bad :) Oh yeah - a bottle of wine and dinner with Jason helped out
to :)

Like the flip flop tan lines? Oh yeah.

Random Thoughts:

I was going through my 'old pictures' file on my computer and came across this:


I love this picture. It's about 5 years old - my grandmother at 75 and brother at 15. This was taken an my cousins wedding. I don't know what it is, but just kind of captures the moment.

I'm not digging Rock of Love Bus that much anymore since all of the crazies have been kicked off. But remember the Panama City Beach episode with all of the kids? Well, I had dinner with my friend and her daughter who was paid $200 to be on the show! She was the one who was painting the chicks toes. Pretty random.

I hope everyone who is having a great weekend! Melissa, Amy, and who ever else is rocking New Orelans - get excited!!!

Surfing Widow

Yes, there is such a thing. A surfing widow typically goes hand-in-hand with a fishing widow as well. I'll rant about that below...

Today was an early day. After a sweet swim workout yesterday with my new interval buddies - I headed over to Jason's for dinner. Fresh stone crab claws, fresh scallops, and black beans with rice. YUMMO. But when I stay over at big J's on Tuesday night, I have to get up SUPER EARLY to meet everyone for the weds run. So the 4:40am alarm came really early.

Well, I get to Grayton to meet up with everyone, and sure enough I was 15 min early. WHAT?!? How did that happen? I could have slept for another 15 min! Anyway - I decided to do a mile or so warm up. Met up with everyone and got in a little over 7 miles around a 9 min pace. Slow, sweaty, hot, smelling like chlorine miles. Oh well. Every workout can't be banger. (Trying to use my new saying 'bang on' thanks Amy!)

And tonight I made Peanut Butter Powerballssooooo good! Peanut butter and honey goodness!

Anyway - I'm finally downloading some new music on my Ipod. I have done nothing new in that area since August. So if anyone has any suggestions at all to add to my sweet play list - feel free to help me out!!

Once again - my parents are coming in town on Saturday. So excited. Mom and I are going to be taking Fly Casting Lessons from one of Jason's co-workers which is going to be awesome! Speaking of Jason. Surf is up. So that means I am a surfing widow. What did he do after his charter today? Surfed. What is he doing tomorrow all day? Surfing. This commonly happens when the surf is up. I don't mind - I mean if I could surf as awesome as Jason I would be out there as well! But - when I'm at the office..doing office stuff..and just knowing what he's up do I get really jealous. But then again, I guess he's a triathlon widow at times. I'm thinking I need to buy a boat and be a fishing captain so that I can enjoy a day of surfing on a random Thursday!

HAPPY TRAINING EVERYONE!!

Goggle Drive!

Amy Kloner who just ROCKED OUT the 11Global Tri in Cape Town is putting together a 'Goggle Drive' for the kids she worked with at the swim clinic they put on. Check out this link and donate if you can. She even has a pay-pal link set up - so it could not be any easier. A $10 donation could easily give a child a pair of goggles. Who knows how many doors that could open :)

A heard of dogs

Does anyone elses bath tub look like this?


I babysit sometimes for families that are here on vacation - which fun and the money is not bad either. Well, I had the same kids most of last week. They where super cute, fun, and where in bed by 8:30 with no issues. I'm not one of those babysitters who just 'sit' there. We are either in the pool, at the park, riding bikes, doing crafts...so on. And about 7 I'll pop in a movie, and by the end everyone is in bed. But Friday was a different story for about an hour. 4 kids - 5,6,7 and 8 years old where on the edge. Tired, cranky, wound up and about ready to blow up. Dinner was outside on the patio since it was spaghetti. Food was starting to be thrown so as I was getting that issue in control - the freaking dog ran into the house. With 5 dogs behind him - two which where wet. Ugh. Control control! Must keep control! Needless to say - I rounded up the heard of dogs out. Kids played crafts and 20 min later a movie was in. Ugh. I was so happy when everyone was asleep.

This weekend workout wise was great. We had a 6am trail run in Grayton State Park at 6am on Saturday. There where 5 of us, and two of us (Fassil and I) who are not that familiar with the trials decided to pick up the pace. Due to our excellent sense of direction, we ended up alittle over a mile more then we had planned, but all in all it was an excellent 11.4 mile run.

We had amazing weather all weekend - so later that morning we headed to the beach. Kim, Jeff, 'Little' Chloe, and Reice met us out at our fav beach access so that we could do a wet suit trial run. Pam in hand, I was ready. The wet suits where cake to put on. After a few pictures, we jumped in the gulf. The gulf was pretty darn cold, but as we looked around we noticed a TON of people in the water! I guess tourists can't feel cold :) Anyway, the swim was great. We didn't go to far, but just wanted to get used to the feeling. Ahhh...I felt like I was floating! I was very uneasy with the whole wetsuit deal for New Orleans. But now I'm more pumped then ever.














Sunday I had the best ride. We all met at Bruce at 7am. The plan was to go about 50 out and back on Highway 20. Burke was set on meeting at 7 instead of 8:30 so that we would be finished sooner. So I had to wake up earlier. Awesome. Anyway - BURK SLEPT IN AND DIDN'T EVEN SHOW! His loss. He missed a sweet ride. But it was Lisa W, Kim, Jeff, Kent, Jeff Ellis, and myself.

View from my car on the way to Bruce

The ride started out with a headwind and freezing!! But we just pushed through. Right when we crossed 79 the headwind seemed to get stronger. For those of you who have done IMFL - you know what headwind I'm talking about. Why is it that some areas are just ALWAYS windy? Anyway - we just pushed along. We got to a point where we could turn around and to around 40 but decided to keep on pushing through. Jeff Ellis was pulling, I was behind him, and then everyone else was behind me. Riding behind Jeff I was in a zone. Just pushing through the miles trying not to lose his wheel. Around mile 34 or so, I turned around and realized that NO ONE was behind us. I yelled a Jeff and we swung around to make sure everyone was ok. Then Kent came out of nowhere and raced by us time trial style. So we just turned around and followed Kent. Our turn around point was a few miles up the road. Once we caught up with Kent, he said the other three wanted to only do 60, so they turned around.


Kim Lisa and I before the Ride

Jeff E and his sweet glasses with Lisa W

Jeff

Kent "It's too early to smile" Look


So it was me - with these two AWESOME riders. But I felt great! Ready to rock out the last 1/2 of the workout. Thankfully the wind was at at our backs and I was able to keep up with them the rest of the way home. Total mileage (according my bike computer) 68.4 miles at an 18.2 avg. Whoowhoo!

One the way home I stopped at Subway to get lunch. It was full of - yes, they are still here - spring breakers. I got quite a few odd looks with my sweet biking shorts, crazy hair, and compression socks. And there was no way I could have taken off my sunglasses - allergies and wind made them look like I had smoked a bale of pot.

What a great weekend. Next weekend my parents are going to be in town - so that means cleaning this week and transforming our 'storage room' back to the guest room. My parents are so awesome and I'm soooo excited they are able to come down. Lots of wine to be drank! CHEERS!!

Swimming, Walmart, and Cobia

I love the people that swim at my pool. I went to the pool yesterday to get in a leisurely 3000 yards. Maybe some 400 repeats, some pulls, IM's, fun stuff like that. After getting in a 600 warm up and a 400 pull, I decided to do 5X100's on the 1:45. First 100 IM, 2nd free, 3rd IM and so on. It felt great. Then rocked out another 400 pull. And then some of the older men who WIN freaking masters events jump in the lane next to me. "Hey Chloe, what are you doing today? Any intervals? Can we join?" What am I going to say? No? "Of course! I'm about to start 5X100 free on the 1:30". Done. "Hey Chloe, what do you want to do next? IM's?" Sure! I'm totally game. I forget how awesome intervals are when you are actually doing them with someone else! 5X100 IM's on the 2:00. Loved every single one of the 100's. I could have stayed another hour swimming with these guys...but I had to be at the most dreaded place in the world. Well, for me. Walmart.

Yes, I had to go to Walmart. I was on my last pair of contacts - which I ripped the day before. So I had no choice. Thankfully the eye place is right when you come in the door. So I was in and out before I had to deal with the Walmart crowd plus the spring breakers. Phew. You know you're Walmart is awesome when it has an AIRBRUSH station right in the front. Anyway, the parking lot was a whole other program. No - I do not want to meet you at LaVela. No, you don't know me from your chem class in Auburn. But I guess I should take it as a compliment that I can still pass as a collage student :)

Jason and I have both been very busy this week. Me with work, training, and babysitting. Jason with trips. Cobia have started to run (Cobia = some of the best tasting fish ever!) - so he's been booked all week and running trips back to back. Needless to say, we've both been going from 5am to about 10pm almost every night this week. So last night, we went to our favorite hole in the wall mexican place for chicken tacos and to enjoy some down time!

Cobia we caught last year....YUM!!!


Natalie, Myself and Paul

Sonny and Jason

Yeah Friday!!

Let The Wild Rumpus Begin!

I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!

OK - self edit for Amy :) The movie for 'Where the Wild things Are' one of my fav books growing up is coming out soon!

It's Tuesday

So, it's Tuesday. Remember those days in school when it was so nice outside and all you wanted to do way lay in the grass and take a long nap? In college we would just skip class (whoops) and go to the winery. In middle and high school we would just have to grin and bear it. And the same now. Work was really good today (finally) but it was so awesome outside. I'm telling you - going home for lunch, I really had second thoughts about going back to the office. My thoughts where being outside - either on the beach, on my bike, in the pool, ANYTHING!

And it's going to be this nice all week.

It's going to be a hard week to focus in the office :)




But I did get on the trainer for an hour (did not want to fight the CRAZY spring break traffic) and then had an AWESOME 3 mile run at around a 7:15 pace. It felt great. Today was a good day.

Oh yeah. And it's St. Pat's day! I freaking love this holiday. It's the only holiday where you don't have to plan anything, get anyone gifts, or go to a family function. I all you need to do is wear green and go to a bar. Some significant event is going to happen to me on this wonderful holiday. Either get married or have a baby. Big J is well aware of this :)
Haha...elegent...right?


Quick question for everyone - I'm thinking about jumping on the heart rate monitor train. I have the monitor and everything... But I do need some good websites to get info and figure out where I need to be...