Hard fall

Huh. Pretty much ruined all that working out with the Snickers, Skittles, Reece's, Diet Coke and chips I binged on yesterday! My girl Mustard tried to stop me but I was in a mood.

No workout yesterday or today. Yesterday I ended up working until 5pm, today we had a graduation party to go to and then My Honey went golfing. Tomorrow I hope to do something. Maybe I will get up a half hour early and run... Probably not. That would mean 3:30 in the morning. The sun isn't shining yet. The moon is beautiful though.

Mo' Training

Tuesday - i did at least 30 minutes of swimming
Wednesday - I ended up taking my rest day Wednesday. The bike guy called, its going to be a week and around fifty bucks for parts. He's doing the labor on his own time ... ideas to "repay" him? I am REALLY bad at that stuff.
Thursday - Yesterday my gal JP and I ran the loop from my house. We did pretty well, ran a little further than I did earlier in the week. It was really nice to run in the morning. First, I was fresh from a good nights' sleep, second, it was way cooler.
Friday - I got up and went swimming this morning. It was nice. Time to break into the open water though. I checked into the schedule at the City pool, looks like Tuesday nights and Friday mornings will do it.

I've had an interesting couple days. I went to a conference here in town for folks in the dispatching profession from around Washington. They had some great speakers. One of them was in Oklahoma City dispatching the day of the bombing in 1995. He was speaking about being prepared for critical incidents. It was really good stuff. Another session I went to was about bullying in the workplace. Very, very good stuff. The gal that spoke was fabulous. She had some great research she had done, some wonderful examples and a couple things she challenged us to do. Today, our keynote speaker talked about the difference between leaders and supervisors. More good food for thought. I haven't quite got it all worked out yet, but he also had some good information and challenged me.

Training

I want to keep better notes this year. Here's my training this week:
Tonite I am going to swim at least 30 min
Last night I ran the (nearly) three mile loop - well, I ran and walked it.
Friday I swam 30 min

I think that's it. The loop from my house is, by my own definition "grueling." It is hilly, into the wind and not easy for me. I have yet to run the hills.

The swim is easy. I go to the indoor pool and just swim laps. I have been thinking I should head to the outdoor pool to get used to the water temperature. I just read the lake is only 66 degrees. Brrrrrr! I actually have no idea what the temp was last year so I don't know how to compare it, but 66 degrees sounds cold.

Biking.... My bike is in the shop. The back derailer (I don't know, is that how you spell it?) is broke, or sticking or something. My friend's hubby works for a local bike shop and is going to take a look at it on Wednesday. Unfortunately the bike is 15 years old and, based on last year's experience with another old bike, I am afraid that its going to be not-so-easy to get parts. We shall see. If it is back, I hope to bike to work on Saturday. The bike TO work is easy - all downhill. It's the ride home that will test me! I only did it once last year and it was HARD!!

Hopefully tomorrow I will get another run in, Thursday a ... rest? Or maybe run again or an outdoor swim in the afternoon, and then a swim Friday morning. Ride to work on Saturday, or run in the afternoon. I could do an "easy" run on the loop after work since I will be close. Sunday a ride if my bike is fixed or a run depending on how Saturday works out. Shew.

Smile

The last word prompt for the Creativity Boot Camp is "smile." This is a picture from my April archives. Bubba and Miss I in a rare moment of getting along. Actually, truth be told, its happening more frequently, for which I am very thankful. It might be a good summer after all!

Megan, the author of the Creativity Boot Camp is going to do The Sunday Creative starting at the end of the month. A weekly creative prompt to create to. I am looking forward to it. The Boot Camp was very fun, challenging and made me think that I could do something like that with my kids to keep them thinking and creating all summer. Now we can all have the same word to think on and see what we come up with during the week.

The first week of Summer Vacation went well. Bubba and Miss I stayed with grandma while My Honey and I were at work. It was nice enough that they could play outside which helps. Next week Bubba is going to a Physics Camp (similar to last years Super Cool Science Camp) so grandma will get a bit of a break from him. Yesterday grandpa came and took him fishing so I painted (yeah, still painting) while Miss I just did whatever she wanted.

I hated the white doors in the hallway so I painted them brown. I think it looks a ton better. My Honey also painted the inside of the exterior doors brown. The white trim is so super cool tho! We are also getting all the touch up stuff done so when my carpet guy calls I can be ready. I had hoped that we'd get vinyl this past week but it didn't work out that way. I am still hoping for final install on everything before the 4th ... but I know it might be after that. I just hope not.

I worked hard on the old floor today, it needed to be cleaned really good before install. Have all the paint drips cleaned up and stuff like that. Back breaking work. Hands-and-knees work. It looks really nice tho. Maybe we should keep it.... NO WAY!! I just want the new stuff to look good. My Honey ripped out one of the last sections of carpet. We are going to leave the stairs until just before install, but he ripped out the upstairs hallway. Again, the wood floor has been nailed down in several places. I wonder if it looks horrible in Bubba's room too?

I was a triathlon training slacker this past week. I went for a short run, a really short bike ride and swam twice. I am hoping to ride and run tomorrow. I intended to do that today but I just never got motivated. Next week I need to run, ride and swim at least once each. I may try to ride to work on Saturday. Thank goodness the pedestrian bridge is open now!!! I would also like to complete my Creativity Boot Camp assignments: "smooth, hush and full bodied." And I am going to cross my fingers that my carpet guy calls and sets up install for the carpet and vinyl on the 27th. (Is that asking too much? Is that even a week day?)

Adventures

Auntie and Miss I

We took a drive up in the mountains today to check out some camp sites. It was a nice afternoon for all of us.

Drizzle

Okay I did it.

Drizzle

Hmmmm. I worked today and thought about this, maybe twice.
Unfortunately its a really nice (windy) day so my original thought (rain drizzling) isn't going to work. I also thought of going through some archived photos, but I don't take pictures in the rain so you will have to be satisfied with my thoughts on drizzle.

I also thought of syrup drizzled over pancakes - too bad we had spaghetti for dinner.
and chocolate or caramel or strawberry drizzled over ice cream - which I forgot to buy when I went grocery shopping.

Dang. Now I am going to go peek at others' work and see if it inspires me.

Fly and Ornament

Saturday and Sunday word prompts:
FLY

ORNAMENT

Fluid

Today's word prompt is FLUID.
Hmmmmm. Here's what I came up with:




Not too bad I don't think.

Its been a nice day, going to the park for those pictures was hardly a chore. Getting the flying flag was a bit more of a challenge than I thought it would be. The wind wasn't blowing when we got there. Weird. It's been blowing for the last 3 months! The other picture was my 4 year old helping me by pouring water out of a bottle into the river. I took a lot of pictures, this one was the most "fluid" looking one.

It was the last day of school. *sigh* onto Summer. At least it is feeling like summer now! It might even be eighty degrees outside! And sun is shining! We're headed to an outdoor venue for a concert tonight, I hope the weather holds and the wind is not-so-much. Highly unlikely out there, but you never know. I am hoping to sneak a camera in so I can take some pictures. It's a really beautiful place.

GROW

Today's Boot Camp word is "grow." This is at Grandma's house. Her grandkid brag wall. One of those little dudes graduates tomorrow!

I am training for the ChelanMan Triathlon again this year. Last year was my first time and it went pretty well. I was reviewing my notes (what few I kept) and it looks like I did the same thing: waited until the 6 week mark to get going! Shame on me. It would be so much better if I just trained year round. Not only that, once spring and bathing suit weather roll around I wouldn't look at myself and go ... "Really? How did you let yourself get here?" But its kind of like the school year belongs to the kids and their activities and the summer is when I can take care of me. Hmmm, I guess we need some balance don't we?

Here's what I have done this week:
Monday: ran in a very strong wind from home. The course is a hilly 3 miles. I walked at least half of it.
Tuesday: I swam. I was at the pool for 30-40 minutes maybe, and I ran into a friend and we talked tri, but I know I covered the distance of the swim and then some.
Wednesday: that stupid bike ride and then a walk up the hill. The ride was actually good, an easy ride around the loop - but it was windy again so the first half of the ride was into the wind. That's gotta count for something!
Tonite is yoga night.
Friday I am not sure what will work out. Bubba gets out of school at 11 and Miss I will be home all day with me. After My Honey gets off work we are heading out of town for a concert at the Gorge. So ... Maybe I will call it my rest day.

Heavy Metal

I went for a bike ride after My Honey got home from work. I have a triathlon in 6 weeks so I am working out after he gets home from work.

I loaded up the bike, drove down to the 7-11, parked and started to ride the loop. I got part way around and started to wonder if my chain was okay, it had skipped the last time I rode and it was making funny noises. Oh well, I decided to just go on anyway. I got toward the end of the loop and noticed a sign:
"LOOP TRAIL CLOSED MONDAY 7PM THROUGH FRIDAY 7AM"
oh. shit.
And then the chain came off my bike.
double shit.
Huh. So I walked it to my sister's house and begged a ride to my car. Luckily her hubby is a bike guru so he fixed it and gave me some advice on how to prevent it from happening again. So this is today's picture:

Freaking thing was "heavy metal" pushing it uphill :)

Multilayered

These pictures are for Creativity Boot Camp
(Boot Camp link on the side bar. Thanks Ren Mama for putting it on your blog.)

Picnic

Look for it. There's a fly in there somewhere :)

Okay, you guys win

These nails. Every eighteen inches, all the way across the room.

Part of the fireplace. All white! Notice the trim, isn't it pretty? (Right below the air conditioner, LK.)
The upstairs hallway. Closet, master bedroom, and closet doors all white. 6 hours of my life painting these doors. First person to scratch them pays the price!!!

These don't really show the color very well, but its a very nice brown.

The Day

Tomorrow is The Day. I am going to order the new carpet and vinyl. A weekend of listening to the echoing of the kids voices, the keyboard being tapped and dog claws did it! (Payday helped too.)

Hopefully this means carpet by My Honey's birthday. Wouldn't that be great? I have been thinking about how to take pictures, but I just don't have a clue how to capture the room. I guess I better try first. Quit thinking about it. Just do it. I would really like to get a picture of the nailed wood floor, the old vinyl, and the hallway. I was just sitting here, looking at my newly painted doors thinking "that area is going to REALLY look good with new shag carpet!"

Thankfully yesterday was sunny! I mean REALLY sunny. the sunniest day we have had since May. I might even have gotten an eentsy-weentsy tan. Bubba and I did a public education project for my work outside so it was really nice that it was sunny. And warm. Today? Rain. More stinking rain. I read that we set a record for rainfall in May. Actually, it was a record for rainfall. Period. Ever. HELLO? Mother Nature? I live in Central Washington, its supposed to be arid, dry, like the desert here. Remember? For some reason we are getting Western Washington weather. Stop it already!

On Friday night something happened. The new neighbors moved in. They have a kid. A boy. He's eleven. Talk about DRAMA. Poor Miss I is going to learn some hard lessons about being A Girl, being the Little Sister and being left out. I feel bad, but what can you do? I am really thankful that Bubba has a neighbor kid to play with, that it's someone a little older and that he's right next door, not across or down the street. But, it was quite the challenge yesterday, "Can I go next door and play too?" every fifteen minutes. UGH! I'm sure when the newness wears off it will be fine.

It's the last week of school! Yay! Tuesday is Field Day so I am going to dress pirate-ish and hang with the kids all day. I hope the sun comes out!

Weekend

Ahhhh, its my long weekend. No workie until Monday.

I got a LOT more painting done yesterday and today (I know! could I be done already?) That hallway is kicking my butt. I was amped to get started on it but when I got done painting yesterday it looked horrible. Like, really bad. Streaky, the paint didn't cover very evenly, that kind of stuff. I was pretty discouraged, but determined to put a second coat (and even a third) on it to see if that helped.

This morning I dropped the kids off at school/day care and then got to it. WOW! It's going to look pretty good. The second and third coats of paint are really helping. I am still worried that the paint is going to chip, its on the bedroom doors, but it will look good for awhile I hope.

I don't remember leaving the house for much yesterday except to pick up Miss I from grandma's and then to pick up Bubba from school. We all went to a birthday party yesterday evening and then Miss I's preschool end-of-the-year performance. How cute is it to listen to 3, 4, and 5 year olds sing "I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. And if the devil doesn't like it he can sit on a tack!" A-Dorable!

Today, I met my girl DW for coffee and a nice long chat, later, I had lunch with one of my girls from work. I am a little people'd out I think. Weird. I usually like hanging. Must be the paint fumes. They're making me cranky and a little loopy too!

Spring Nights

By now it should be in the eighties and sunny every day. I should be tan-ish and looking forward to spending the weekend in and out of the pool. I should be wearing shorts and looking forward to it cooling down in the evenings.

Reality: I am still wearing jeans. It's been raining all week (which is really starting to piss me off) and the pool isn't even set up yet. Let's not even talk about the top being off the Jeep.

However, it was nice enough to clean out the tree house and the kids wanted to eat up there earlier this week.

I did read somewhere it is supposed to warm up this weekend.... Yeah. Right. I will believe it when I feel it.