i will finally write now.
happy thanksgiving everyone!!!
we had a great time with mom and dad edwards, justy, michael, mary, and casey (and silly bo!) at lake arrowhead. mary had found us a cabin with character and a magnificent view. matt and i woke up to a view of the lake surrounded by mountains. once i woke up early and it was just light out with the sun peeking over the edge and a full moon on the other side over the lake---so beautiful.
highlights of the trip:
-driving to the cabin and seeing palm trees on the hwy next to us and a snow-capped mountain in the near distance
-snowball fight with PERFECTLY packing snow!
-watching the sun set over the lake
-watching a funny and crazy skeleton movie with dad (which provided a plethora of jokes and references)
-playing balderdash with everyone (including the famous and active bocifus)
-hilarious knitting with mary and mom
-eating yum yum food all weekend
-reading a book while drinking hot chocolate in front of a crackley fire in the fireplace
-SNOWBOARDING!!! what??? how have i lived here for over 2 years and not experienced this sooner? snowboarding is what i anticipate to be a new addiction, due to the level of fun-ness and not-too-hard-ness. fun like surfing but easier than surfing. the more i try to compare the two, the less alike they are. therefore, i will not compare anymore. matt and mary were out of control good at it (matt flying past every person on the slopes, mare flying but by carving the slopes and having such quick control). mikey and i bonded on the bunny hill and then the bigger hill. YES!!! so fun!!! next time, justin must be present...
we had a great time with everyone--we love you all!
and now back to reality.
i just counted and realized i had a total of 3 days in the whole month of november where i did NOT have at least one IEP meeting. it's not just the actual meeting, it's all the paperwork involved before we even get to that point--argh-stress! december will be much the same, but 2 weeks off will be a nice reward at the end. speaking of which, we still need to get tickets home for christmas. we kept waiting for them to go down under $300, but that hasn't happened and it won't, i'm sure. oh well, matt is in charge of that job this year!
welp, i'm hungry so i'm out of here.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
before i forget:
2 funny kid quotes... (haven't done one of these for awhile, have i? that's because i've been so busy/stressed that i haven't really enjoyed my job lately. but here we go now...)
first one:
i was seeing a group of 4 kids- 2 boys, 2 girl, and the boys are brothers (1st and 2nd grade). well one of the boys had to go to the bathroom, so of course i excused him. we went on with our activity until his brother said, "where's damian?" and i said, "in the bathroom" and he said, "what's taking so long? usually it only takes like 20 seconds." i said, "well, sometimes it takes people longer than 20 seconds." then he got a hilarious look on his face and said, "i know what he's doing! and it starts with the letter 'p'!" the girls started giggling and i was trying not to. and then he realized that both start with the letter 'p' so he revised his thought.... "well, it's the one that's not spelled with the 'ee' and it rhymes with 'oop"!
so hard not to laugh, but i managed!
next!
yesterday, we were making "speech turkeys" by tracing our hand and then adding giant paper feathers to the hands to make them into turkeys. we then were writing/drawing pictures of our targeted speech words on the feathers. fun, eh? well, my sweetie 1st graders were working so hard, cutting and gluing and practicing their sounds. one boy kept layering on many feathers, to the point where i had to tell him to move on or he wouldn't have time to draw. then i was praising all of them, saying "man! these are some of the best speech turkeys i have seen all day!" and the little boy said, "yes, and mine is the featheryest!!!" with a huge grin on his face.
yes, a new adjective+superlative is born.
matt took me out to dinner last night, since we didn't do anything on my birthday. we went to this cool restaurant in point loma, actually, called "old venice", italian, of course. they have a cool bar/waiting room attached, with white walls and white candles and a huge fireplace with big, white wingback chairs. it reminded us of a huge, old house. we ended up having to wait over an hour for a seat outside, but it was worth it. so beautiful and the food was great. yay!
t-minus-27 hours until the edwards family arrives!
lots of chores and errands to do before that happens, though.
oh yeah, i had such a fun time in boardman, ohio with my dear friend heidi. they say you're lucky if you find one lifelong friend in your life, and i have at least 4. one is from kindergarten, when i was 4 years old with my little pigtails. i was in the library with my class and me and this other little girl were going around the tables (not really running, just being spunky). and i said, "do you want to be my friend? and michelle cho said "yes". and then we shared our snack later. i had carrots, which she wanted. and she had oreos, which i wanted. then she was in my wedding, taking care of everything. and now she has a 4 year old of her own (and a two year old and one on the way).
the other three are from college: teri, kelly, and heidi.
teri i met my freshman year of college, maybe the first few weeks or so. i can't remember our first actual meeting, because everyone just hung out all the time, but i do remember her watching "rush limbaugh" (which i hated) and mtv's 120 minutes (which i loved) in our dorm lounge. then we started talking and slowly figured out that we wanted to know more about God. and we started going to a bible study (me mostly to argue with/question our leader, dyan) and we started on that journey together, asking each other questions, praying together, and then i accepted the lord a year later, and teri was with me. and we were baptized together later. we shared some of the most intimate times with the Lord together. and a million other things happened in between and since.
oh yeah, at that same bible study, we met our friend kelly, who i thought was pretty religious at first. also, she had a loud voice (LIKE I CAN TALK!) in our lounge (by the way, my dorm room was right off the lounge, so anything that went on there became my business). she tried to witness to me and answer questions at bible study and she was in spain when i gave my life to the lord. but she came home the next semester and we spent thousands more hours talking and laughing in both of our loud voices! and we lived together for several years (ter lived with us for a year, too) and if one of us went away for the weekend, we'd have to make up for all the talking we had missed and we'd stay up late sunday nights chatting.
i met heidi through matt and joel, actually, at the beginning of my sophmore year of college. they said, "you have to meet this cool girl" and when she and i met, we decided to have lunch the next day. ("i would never to that in real life!" heidi says now.) we ended up chatting for hours at that lunch the next day and were joined at the hip the rest of the year. we really only had 8 months together and she left BG the next year to go to chiropractic school in atlanta and i grieved. but here it is, 10 years later, and we're still getting together.
but i guess what i'm trying to say is that when the Lord connects you, really knits your soul to someone else's, it is forever sometimes. no matter how much time you spend together or how much time has passed or how much space divides you.
and then there is family, which justin covered in his most recent blog.
and i'll do that someday, too, but that is another blog...
2 funny kid quotes... (haven't done one of these for awhile, have i? that's because i've been so busy/stressed that i haven't really enjoyed my job lately. but here we go now...)
first one:
i was seeing a group of 4 kids- 2 boys, 2 girl, and the boys are brothers (1st and 2nd grade). well one of the boys had to go to the bathroom, so of course i excused him. we went on with our activity until his brother said, "where's damian?" and i said, "in the bathroom" and he said, "what's taking so long? usually it only takes like 20 seconds." i said, "well, sometimes it takes people longer than 20 seconds." then he got a hilarious look on his face and said, "i know what he's doing! and it starts with the letter 'p'!" the girls started giggling and i was trying not to. and then he realized that both start with the letter 'p' so he revised his thought.... "well, it's the one that's not spelled with the 'ee' and it rhymes with 'oop"!
so hard not to laugh, but i managed!
next!
yesterday, we were making "speech turkeys" by tracing our hand and then adding giant paper feathers to the hands to make them into turkeys. we then were writing/drawing pictures of our targeted speech words on the feathers. fun, eh? well, my sweetie 1st graders were working so hard, cutting and gluing and practicing their sounds. one boy kept layering on many feathers, to the point where i had to tell him to move on or he wouldn't have time to draw. then i was praising all of them, saying "man! these are some of the best speech turkeys i have seen all day!" and the little boy said, "yes, and mine is the featheryest!!!" with a huge grin on his face.
yes, a new adjective+superlative is born.
matt took me out to dinner last night, since we didn't do anything on my birthday. we went to this cool restaurant in point loma, actually, called "old venice", italian, of course. they have a cool bar/waiting room attached, with white walls and white candles and a huge fireplace with big, white wingback chairs. it reminded us of a huge, old house. we ended up having to wait over an hour for a seat outside, but it was worth it. so beautiful and the food was great. yay!
t-minus-27 hours until the edwards family arrives!
lots of chores and errands to do before that happens, though.
oh yeah, i had such a fun time in boardman, ohio with my dear friend heidi. they say you're lucky if you find one lifelong friend in your life, and i have at least 4. one is from kindergarten, when i was 4 years old with my little pigtails. i was in the library with my class and me and this other little girl were going around the tables (not really running, just being spunky). and i said, "do you want to be my friend? and michelle cho said "yes". and then we shared our snack later. i had carrots, which she wanted. and she had oreos, which i wanted. then she was in my wedding, taking care of everything. and now she has a 4 year old of her own (and a two year old and one on the way).
the other three are from college: teri, kelly, and heidi.
teri i met my freshman year of college, maybe the first few weeks or so. i can't remember our first actual meeting, because everyone just hung out all the time, but i do remember her watching "rush limbaugh" (which i hated) and mtv's 120 minutes (which i loved) in our dorm lounge. then we started talking and slowly figured out that we wanted to know more about God. and we started going to a bible study (me mostly to argue with/question our leader, dyan) and we started on that journey together, asking each other questions, praying together, and then i accepted the lord a year later, and teri was with me. and we were baptized together later. we shared some of the most intimate times with the Lord together. and a million other things happened in between and since.
oh yeah, at that same bible study, we met our friend kelly, who i thought was pretty religious at first. also, she had a loud voice (LIKE I CAN TALK!) in our lounge (by the way, my dorm room was right off the lounge, so anything that went on there became my business). she tried to witness to me and answer questions at bible study and she was in spain when i gave my life to the lord. but she came home the next semester and we spent thousands more hours talking and laughing in both of our loud voices! and we lived together for several years (ter lived with us for a year, too) and if one of us went away for the weekend, we'd have to make up for all the talking we had missed and we'd stay up late sunday nights chatting.
i met heidi through matt and joel, actually, at the beginning of my sophmore year of college. they said, "you have to meet this cool girl" and when she and i met, we decided to have lunch the next day. ("i would never to that in real life!" heidi says now.) we ended up chatting for hours at that lunch the next day and were joined at the hip the rest of the year. we really only had 8 months together and she left BG the next year to go to chiropractic school in atlanta and i grieved. but here it is, 10 years later, and we're still getting together.
but i guess what i'm trying to say is that when the Lord connects you, really knits your soul to someone else's, it is forever sometimes. no matter how much time you spend together or how much time has passed or how much space divides you.
and then there is family, which justin covered in his most recent blog.
and i'll do that someday, too, but that is another blog...
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
outdoor ministry????
that's what i want to do!
(see mom edwards blog for reference)
seriously, i have been thinking about what i want to do for my next job. i'm sensing a change coming up in my life-- ph.d? teach college, outdoor education, mare! yes! fitness/nutrition--i've been getting so into it lately. on that note, i want to give a shout out to my brother rydogg, who has lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks--by eating BREAKFAST and regular snacks (healthier, of course, but regular---he says he hasn't been hungry yet). nice work! and to michelle: you can do it! i KNOW you can! plus, there's $200 at stake here... :)
but anyhoo. how can i become a paid world traveler? i just don't want to lose my summers off, this job is seriously wearing me out. a good portion of my day ends up turning into paperwork that is required by the state/federal government in order to cover my patoot so i don't get in trouble. enough of that venting. i do still love being a speech therapist. but what else might be out there for me? this is what i want to know...
welp, i need to start getting this house ready for our new influx of thanksgiving guests on sunday! :)
that's what i want to do!
(see mom edwards blog for reference)
seriously, i have been thinking about what i want to do for my next job. i'm sensing a change coming up in my life-- ph.d? teach college, outdoor education, mare! yes! fitness/nutrition--i've been getting so into it lately. on that note, i want to give a shout out to my brother rydogg, who has lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks--by eating BREAKFAST and regular snacks (healthier, of course, but regular---he says he hasn't been hungry yet). nice work! and to michelle: you can do it! i KNOW you can! plus, there's $200 at stake here... :)
but anyhoo. how can i become a paid world traveler? i just don't want to lose my summers off, this job is seriously wearing me out. a good portion of my day ends up turning into paperwork that is required by the state/federal government in order to cover my patoot so i don't get in trouble. enough of that venting. i do still love being a speech therapist. but what else might be out there for me? this is what i want to know...
welp, i need to start getting this house ready for our new influx of thanksgiving guests on sunday! :)
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
i'm up a little early so thought i'd blog...
mary gave a fun recap of the muddy buddy, so i'll try not to repeat too much...
kelly and spivey and matt came to cheer us on and support us, which was so nice!
just a little background. the race was held at joseph grant state park in san jose, which was beautifully surrounded by and in the mountains. it was for sure the most beautiful course in which i have competed. so the entire race was completed on a wide dirt trail (wide enough for a car to get through). runners on the right, bikers on the left. the atmosphere was so fun. some people had on costumes, wigs, etc. and had decorated their bikes in crazy ways. everybody was pretty rowdy, which made it nice and relaxed (not as competitive as triathlon or half marathon).
1 mile: mary biking, me running-- what was supposed to be a "gradual" uphill turned into ridiculousness within 60 seconds. all bikers were hopping off their bikes and walking them up the hill. nothing was heard but huffing and puffing along with some cuss words by angry/exhausted racers. so mare and i got to do at least a little bit of the race together in the beginning. it helped for sure. the hill flattened out after a while so i ran up ahead while mare hopped on the bike again and i yelled, "mare, it's downhill from here!" then i turned a corner and MORE uphill. it turned into a short downhill (where mare took off) and we came upon our first obstacle.
THE ARMY CRAWL: mare had put the bike down and completed the obstacle and started running by the time i arrived. i army crawled under a net that was on the ground (that hooked onto my helmet every foot i advanced :). then i found the bike sitting in the grass, hopped on, and started to pedal. ahhhh.... downhill flying. i started to feel guilty for having such a nice bike ride after what mary just endured! and then minor uphill crawling. and repeat that throughout the next 1.3 miles. i passed mare somewhere in there and yelled encouragement and she yelled back. on one of the super fast downhills i started laughing with glee. then i noticed some larger fist-sized rocks in the trail that i was about to run over as i was passing another biker. "ahhhhhh" i yelled. and whew! came out of it just fine. and just in time to see a man laid out at the bottom of the hill with his bike on the other side of the trail, wheel still spinning. yikes.
but then on to obstacle #2:
THE TRIANGLE ROPE WALL: i've seen enough of these adventure reality shows to know how to do this deal! i put down my bike, climbed up one side and down the other and i was off and running for 1.4 miles of mostly flatness and some rolling hills. i chugged away and then i heard mare yelling my name from about a quarter mile back. she came flying by on the bike as she yelled encouragement. after a while, i started to get tired and then i remembered that the "mystery obstacle" was up ahead.
THE INFLATABLE SLIDE WALL THING: picture a giant inflatable slide (at least 20 feet high, 12 or so feet wide) with a rope wall on one side. not too difficult to climb up and then when we arrived at the top-pure steepness! and then i screamed the whole way down! so fun!!! i picked up the bike that mary had left there and started pedaling for 1.4 more miles. after a while, i saw mare's red shirt bobbing up and down in the distance so i started yelling after her. not too long after i spotted her, i came to the easiest obstacle:
THE MONKEY BARS: there was nothing glamorous about this obstacle. it was just like the monkey bars everyone played on in elementary school. i was delirious, however, and started climbing the opposite way on them. that is, until a high-school aged volunteer informed me of the error of my ways. that being over, i set off running for the last 1.2 miles to our destination finish line! mare caught up with me when there was about a half mile left. she slowed down and pedaled with me for a minute and offered to stay with me. what a nice girl! but no, i wanted her to enjoy the rest of that bike ride and i knew she'd only be waiting for me for a couple of minutes at the transition area. i finally arrived to hear the screaming people and the mud pit was in sight! i heard kelly screaming my name, which helped incredibly ( i was about to collapse) and then i saw mare, who also screamed my name. we had finally made it to:
THE MUD PIT: which was FREEZING!!!! but we were laughing hilariously the whole time!!! i couldn't believe how slowly we moved through that mud!!! at one point i said to mare, "i can't move!" and she said, "just swim--SWIM!" and that did sort of work. the crowd was screaming and then booing. in our delirious confusion we thought they were booing at us and we got even lower in the mud. until we looked around and saw some girls trying to run/walk through the pit. some guys came from the cheering section and tackled them and made them get down and crawl. so fun!!!! covered in slimy mud, we finally made it out and were laughing so hard. matt and kelly and spivey were there to greet us. yay!
after getting food and chatting with those three for awhile, mare and i rinsed off. the rinse off area consisted of about 50 hoses hooked up to a giant pole. everybody was rinsing off and spraying each other and yelling--more rowdiness and fun. i wish i could have had a picture of that funniness!
oh, side note-- spivey won a bike rack in the raffle! $85 value, and he gave it to us, saying "trace, you're the star athlete--you deserve it" so fun to have a former BGSU football player respect you as an athlete!
anyways, the muddy buddy was one of the most fun things i have ever done in my life! i know mare agrees--mare, thanks for yet another excellent event! see you next year in san jose for round 2!!!!!
mary gave a fun recap of the muddy buddy, so i'll try not to repeat too much...
kelly and spivey and matt came to cheer us on and support us, which was so nice!
just a little background. the race was held at joseph grant state park in san jose, which was beautifully surrounded by and in the mountains. it was for sure the most beautiful course in which i have competed. so the entire race was completed on a wide dirt trail (wide enough for a car to get through). runners on the right, bikers on the left. the atmosphere was so fun. some people had on costumes, wigs, etc. and had decorated their bikes in crazy ways. everybody was pretty rowdy, which made it nice and relaxed (not as competitive as triathlon or half marathon).
1 mile: mary biking, me running-- what was supposed to be a "gradual" uphill turned into ridiculousness within 60 seconds. all bikers were hopping off their bikes and walking them up the hill. nothing was heard but huffing and puffing along with some cuss words by angry/exhausted racers. so mare and i got to do at least a little bit of the race together in the beginning. it helped for sure. the hill flattened out after a while so i ran up ahead while mare hopped on the bike again and i yelled, "mare, it's downhill from here!" then i turned a corner and MORE uphill. it turned into a short downhill (where mare took off) and we came upon our first obstacle.
THE ARMY CRAWL: mare had put the bike down and completed the obstacle and started running by the time i arrived. i army crawled under a net that was on the ground (that hooked onto my helmet every foot i advanced :). then i found the bike sitting in the grass, hopped on, and started to pedal. ahhhh.... downhill flying. i started to feel guilty for having such a nice bike ride after what mary just endured! and then minor uphill crawling. and repeat that throughout the next 1.3 miles. i passed mare somewhere in there and yelled encouragement and she yelled back. on one of the super fast downhills i started laughing with glee. then i noticed some larger fist-sized rocks in the trail that i was about to run over as i was passing another biker. "ahhhhhh" i yelled. and whew! came out of it just fine. and just in time to see a man laid out at the bottom of the hill with his bike on the other side of the trail, wheel still spinning. yikes.
but then on to obstacle #2:
THE TRIANGLE ROPE WALL: i've seen enough of these adventure reality shows to know how to do this deal! i put down my bike, climbed up one side and down the other and i was off and running for 1.4 miles of mostly flatness and some rolling hills. i chugged away and then i heard mare yelling my name from about a quarter mile back. she came flying by on the bike as she yelled encouragement. after a while, i started to get tired and then i remembered that the "mystery obstacle" was up ahead.
THE INFLATABLE SLIDE WALL THING: picture a giant inflatable slide (at least 20 feet high, 12 or so feet wide) with a rope wall on one side. not too difficult to climb up and then when we arrived at the top-pure steepness! and then i screamed the whole way down! so fun!!! i picked up the bike that mary had left there and started pedaling for 1.4 more miles. after a while, i saw mare's red shirt bobbing up and down in the distance so i started yelling after her. not too long after i spotted her, i came to the easiest obstacle:
THE MONKEY BARS: there was nothing glamorous about this obstacle. it was just like the monkey bars everyone played on in elementary school. i was delirious, however, and started climbing the opposite way on them. that is, until a high-school aged volunteer informed me of the error of my ways. that being over, i set off running for the last 1.2 miles to our destination finish line! mare caught up with me when there was about a half mile left. she slowed down and pedaled with me for a minute and offered to stay with me. what a nice girl! but no, i wanted her to enjoy the rest of that bike ride and i knew she'd only be waiting for me for a couple of minutes at the transition area. i finally arrived to hear the screaming people and the mud pit was in sight! i heard kelly screaming my name, which helped incredibly ( i was about to collapse) and then i saw mare, who also screamed my name. we had finally made it to:
THE MUD PIT: which was FREEZING!!!! but we were laughing hilariously the whole time!!! i couldn't believe how slowly we moved through that mud!!! at one point i said to mare, "i can't move!" and she said, "just swim--SWIM!" and that did sort of work. the crowd was screaming and then booing. in our delirious confusion we thought they were booing at us and we got even lower in the mud. until we looked around and saw some girls trying to run/walk through the pit. some guys came from the cheering section and tackled them and made them get down and crawl. so fun!!!! covered in slimy mud, we finally made it out and were laughing so hard. matt and kelly and spivey were there to greet us. yay!
after getting food and chatting with those three for awhile, mare and i rinsed off. the rinse off area consisted of about 50 hoses hooked up to a giant pole. everybody was rinsing off and spraying each other and yelling--more rowdiness and fun. i wish i could have had a picture of that funniness!
oh, side note-- spivey won a bike rack in the raffle! $85 value, and he gave it to us, saying "trace, you're the star athlete--you deserve it" so fun to have a former BGSU football player respect you as an athlete!
anyways, the muddy buddy was one of the most fun things i have ever done in my life! i know mare agrees--mare, thanks for yet another excellent event! see you next year in san jose for round 2!!!!!
Monday, November 08, 2004
hey, quick blog here---
michelle and i are going to be on the price is right tomorrow!!!!
set your VCRs--we're in the second row and one of the girls in the group next to us is the first one to "come on down!"
i'll write about muddy buddy later--trying to get ready for my trip this weds-sunday to go see heidi!
michelle and i are going to be on the price is right tomorrow!!!!
set your VCRs--we're in the second row and one of the girls in the group next to us is the first one to "come on down!"
i'll write about muddy buddy later--trying to get ready for my trip this weds-sunday to go see heidi!
Monday, November 01, 2004
another monday down...
stressful life situations here, especially at my school called barnard (where i am two days/week).
the principal, we think, maybe has some mental health issues going on...
i will describe:
okay, there have been so many problems between the teachers and this principal that we had a meeting set up with the union representative last wednesday. we had all known about the meeting for about three weeks and new and ridiculous things were being said by the principal each day. last wednesday my friends--the counselor, resource specialist, and nurse-- all witnessed the following altercation:
principal to secretary: arlene, i want you to go to the union meeting today and report back to me what the teachers are saying. (uh, by the way, TOTALLY illegal!!!)
secretary: (loudly) i'm not going to be your snitch!
principal: arlene, this really isn't the time or the place for this.
secretary: (even louder) no way! i'm not going to snitch on the teachers!!!
principal: this isn't the time or the place, arlene.
secretary: i'm not going to be your snitch! the teachers already feel like you talk down to them--that's why they're meeting with the union in the first place!
principal: that's it! i'm calling the police!
[WHAT??????]
[seriously, if you can't resolve a simple argument without calling the police, you have a huge problem]
so the principal dials the police and in the meantime the secretary calls her own union, who tells her to LEAVE the school. the police arrive as she is leaving and they escort her out.. the principal yells after her, "arlene, i want you to come back, just not today. you can come back tomorrow, just not today." the secretary yells, "whatever, mary!!!!" and leaves.
so this is the fun scene that i face every day now. if i disagree with my principal, do the police get summoned? and do i get escorted away in front of all my kids?
it is a very stressful place to go to. and the teachers (who are fantastic,by the way) are totally worn down and it's only november. and i'm finding out that we basically have a pretty powerless union, so that is sort of disheartening in addition to all of this.
so on a better note: the new pinback album is incredible.
and tomorrow is election day, so matt and i are doing our final research tonight. i love that he and i can vote for different people and it doesn't phase either of us. that's a perk of being not into politics, i must say.
matt and i refinanced our home on saturday! we were chatting about the particulars of 5-year fixed rates and so on and i said, "matt! we're talking about refinancing our home. we are GROWN UPS now!" such an odd feeling. in my head i am still only 22 years old. crazy that i'll be 29 in just a couple of weeks. and then 30 in a year. but like i was telling michelle yesterday, the closer i get to 30, the better i feel. you know (or maybe you don't): less insecure, more bold, less caring about what people think about me, more confident in who God made me, more realistic about ideals and expectations for life. yeah, i'm not crazy about the fine lines around my eyes, but they're worth it when i think about how much more settled i feel, mentally.
speaking of getting older, it's 8:00, is it too early for bed? :) but seriously, i'm so sleepy. must be the time change. so sad to see the sun setting at 5:15 today....
welp, i have three more days to get in shape for the muddy buddy!
so looking forward to that fun mud-slopping time!!!
bye bye everybody.
stressful life situations here, especially at my school called barnard (where i am two days/week).
the principal, we think, maybe has some mental health issues going on...
i will describe:
okay, there have been so many problems between the teachers and this principal that we had a meeting set up with the union representative last wednesday. we had all known about the meeting for about three weeks and new and ridiculous things were being said by the principal each day. last wednesday my friends--the counselor, resource specialist, and nurse-- all witnessed the following altercation:
principal to secretary: arlene, i want you to go to the union meeting today and report back to me what the teachers are saying. (uh, by the way, TOTALLY illegal!!!)
secretary: (loudly) i'm not going to be your snitch!
principal: arlene, this really isn't the time or the place for this.
secretary: (even louder) no way! i'm not going to snitch on the teachers!!!
principal: this isn't the time or the place, arlene.
secretary: i'm not going to be your snitch! the teachers already feel like you talk down to them--that's why they're meeting with the union in the first place!
principal: that's it! i'm calling the police!
[WHAT??????]
[seriously, if you can't resolve a simple argument without calling the police, you have a huge problem]
so the principal dials the police and in the meantime the secretary calls her own union, who tells her to LEAVE the school. the police arrive as she is leaving and they escort her out.. the principal yells after her, "arlene, i want you to come back, just not today. you can come back tomorrow, just not today." the secretary yells, "whatever, mary!!!!" and leaves.
so this is the fun scene that i face every day now. if i disagree with my principal, do the police get summoned? and do i get escorted away in front of all my kids?
it is a very stressful place to go to. and the teachers (who are fantastic,by the way) are totally worn down and it's only november. and i'm finding out that we basically have a pretty powerless union, so that is sort of disheartening in addition to all of this.
so on a better note: the new pinback album is incredible.
and tomorrow is election day, so matt and i are doing our final research tonight. i love that he and i can vote for different people and it doesn't phase either of us. that's a perk of being not into politics, i must say.
matt and i refinanced our home on saturday! we were chatting about the particulars of 5-year fixed rates and so on and i said, "matt! we're talking about refinancing our home. we are GROWN UPS now!" such an odd feeling. in my head i am still only 22 years old. crazy that i'll be 29 in just a couple of weeks. and then 30 in a year. but like i was telling michelle yesterday, the closer i get to 30, the better i feel. you know (or maybe you don't): less insecure, more bold, less caring about what people think about me, more confident in who God made me, more realistic about ideals and expectations for life. yeah, i'm not crazy about the fine lines around my eyes, but they're worth it when i think about how much more settled i feel, mentally.
speaking of getting older, it's 8:00, is it too early for bed? :) but seriously, i'm so sleepy. must be the time change. so sad to see the sun setting at 5:15 today....
welp, i have three more days to get in shape for the muddy buddy!
so looking forward to that fun mud-slopping time!!!
bye bye everybody.
Friday, October 29, 2004
my hair is getting pretty long. i think it is time for a haircut. and time to get all the blondie streaks out of it so it will stop looking so summery. maybe something darker or more red. we shall see....
it has been awhile since my last post, so i'll play catch up briefly. if you have read either matt's or mary's blogs, you will know that the muddy buddy was cancelled last sunday. mare and i found out as we were walking out of the hotel in the morning. NOOOOOO! first---disbelief??? then ANGER!!! and then sadness... then, finally, acceptance. they rescheduled it for saturday, nov. 5th (one day before heidi runs the new york city marathon!), so all is not lost. it actually works out better, since i had worked out only a total of 3 times in the 3 weeks leading up to the muddy buddy. now i've been able to get in a little more training, at least. AND we also were able to visit with kelly and spivey, who now live in san jose! so we'll stay with them on the 5th and matt will be able to come and visit this time, too!
mom edwards, i LOVE the gorillas that you made! if amani doesn't want them, i do!!!! such cutie guys with cute ears!!!
and yes yes to the hiking in lake arrowhead--can not wait! we'll bring/borrow some fun games for that thanksgiving celebration.
welp, matt and i are going to ortega's for dinner tonight.
(we're once again breaking our "no-visitors-until-thanksgiving" rule, and andy mccann is coming down for the weekend--he was lonely up in LA--what can we say?).
it's chow time--i must go!
it has been awhile since my last post, so i'll play catch up briefly. if you have read either matt's or mary's blogs, you will know that the muddy buddy was cancelled last sunday. mare and i found out as we were walking out of the hotel in the morning. NOOOOOO! first---disbelief??? then ANGER!!! and then sadness... then, finally, acceptance. they rescheduled it for saturday, nov. 5th (one day before heidi runs the new york city marathon!), so all is not lost. it actually works out better, since i had worked out only a total of 3 times in the 3 weeks leading up to the muddy buddy. now i've been able to get in a little more training, at least. AND we also were able to visit with kelly and spivey, who now live in san jose! so we'll stay with them on the 5th and matt will be able to come and visit this time, too!
mom edwards, i LOVE the gorillas that you made! if amani doesn't want them, i do!!!! such cutie guys with cute ears!!!
and yes yes to the hiking in lake arrowhead--can not wait! we'll bring/borrow some fun games for that thanksgiving celebration.
welp, matt and i are going to ortega's for dinner tonight.
(we're once again breaking our "no-visitors-until-thanksgiving" rule, and andy mccann is coming down for the weekend--he was lonely up in LA--what can we say?).
it's chow time--i must go!
Monday, October 18, 2004
happy birthday kevin!!!!! (a little late!!!)
we had yet another great weekend here.
saturday, kelly, my college roommate and longtime friend, came in to town around 10:30 am. we chatted and laughed and ate lunch at rancho's (yummy mexican, of course), walked on the beach, chatted and laughed some more, made tacos for dinner, and she ended up staying the night (even though her company has paid for a hotel!). so sunday morning we got up and kel decided to skip her first session so we went to sunset cliffs with our starbucks (decaf mocha-mmm). she decided she had to attend the rest of the events at the conference, which was fine, because matt and i went to puerto nuevo (mexico) with our friends.
it ended up being a perfect beautiful day in a small mexican town. there was fun music and dancing and it was right on the ocean. we ended up eating on the balcony of a littte restaurant while we looked at the ocean. and OH MY WORD--one of the best meals of my life! 2 spiny lobsters (fairly small, but i could still only eat one of them), tortillas, beans, rice, guacamole/salsa, and chips and a margarita (all for only $14-yes! i love mexico!). unlike matt, i felt fine-and so full--the rest of the night. then again, i don't have irritable bowels like he does... :) we bought a bottle of wine from a mexican vineyard and arrived home around 6pm.
this evening kelly is going to come over around 5:30, when her seminars are over, and we'll eat some dinner together. i haven't decided whether i'm going to make something or whether we will go out to eat. decisions, decisions.
how is it october 18th already? this is what i want to know! this saturday i'll be heading up to san jose and mary and i will be participating in the muddy buddy race (http://www.muddybuddy.com) on sunday. needless to say, i haven't been working out very much since the triathlon that took place only 2 weeks ago! oh well, we're not doing it to win. surely, you can all agree that it looks so fun (except for maybe dad edwards, who is not into crawling in mud pits!).
random notes:
-i'm happy for all of you astros fans (especially for my husband, because it does so make my life a little bit more pleasant when they win)!
-right now i'm reading "jane eyre", which i never read in high school. i'm actually pretty into it!
-it rained today for the first time in 6 months, confirmed on the news, of course, which considers the weather a the top story when a rare event like this happens. the roads were a complete mess, apparently. which makes me very thankful that i only had to drive 1/2 mile to work. it never did really come down here--just a few sprinkles. but matt got it further north. the end of that boring subject.
-i just received a nice letter from my grammy--thanks grammy, i know i've owed you one for a long time!!!
-i have made a pumpkin shaped candy jar and a cute little vase and a really ugly big vase in ceramics so far. i hope that they get fired in the kiln at some point this week so i can glaze them. i hope they don't blow up (which could happen if you don't make it the right way. which is probably likely to happen to me heehee!:)
welp, i'm out!
we had yet another great weekend here.
saturday, kelly, my college roommate and longtime friend, came in to town around 10:30 am. we chatted and laughed and ate lunch at rancho's (yummy mexican, of course), walked on the beach, chatted and laughed some more, made tacos for dinner, and she ended up staying the night (even though her company has paid for a hotel!). so sunday morning we got up and kel decided to skip her first session so we went to sunset cliffs with our starbucks (decaf mocha-mmm). she decided she had to attend the rest of the events at the conference, which was fine, because matt and i went to puerto nuevo (mexico) with our friends.
it ended up being a perfect beautiful day in a small mexican town. there was fun music and dancing and it was right on the ocean. we ended up eating on the balcony of a littte restaurant while we looked at the ocean. and OH MY WORD--one of the best meals of my life! 2 spiny lobsters (fairly small, but i could still only eat one of them), tortillas, beans, rice, guacamole/salsa, and chips and a margarita (all for only $14-yes! i love mexico!). unlike matt, i felt fine-and so full--the rest of the night. then again, i don't have irritable bowels like he does... :) we bought a bottle of wine from a mexican vineyard and arrived home around 6pm.
this evening kelly is going to come over around 5:30, when her seminars are over, and we'll eat some dinner together. i haven't decided whether i'm going to make something or whether we will go out to eat. decisions, decisions.
how is it october 18th already? this is what i want to know! this saturday i'll be heading up to san jose and mary and i will be participating in the muddy buddy race (http://www.muddybuddy.com) on sunday. needless to say, i haven't been working out very much since the triathlon that took place only 2 weeks ago! oh well, we're not doing it to win. surely, you can all agree that it looks so fun (except for maybe dad edwards, who is not into crawling in mud pits!).
random notes:
-i'm happy for all of you astros fans (especially for my husband, because it does so make my life a little bit more pleasant when they win)!
-right now i'm reading "jane eyre", which i never read in high school. i'm actually pretty into it!
-it rained today for the first time in 6 months, confirmed on the news, of course, which considers the weather a the top story when a rare event like this happens. the roads were a complete mess, apparently. which makes me very thankful that i only had to drive 1/2 mile to work. it never did really come down here--just a few sprinkles. but matt got it further north. the end of that boring subject.
-i just received a nice letter from my grammy--thanks grammy, i know i've owed you one for a long time!!!
-i have made a pumpkin shaped candy jar and a cute little vase and a really ugly big vase in ceramics so far. i hope that they get fired in the kiln at some point this week so i can glaze them. i hope they don't blow up (which could happen if you don't make it the right way. which is probably likely to happen to me heehee!:)
welp, i'm out!
Sunday, October 10, 2004
we had our little shindig last night. the andys came down around 3:00 pm and we were able to chill with them for a few hours before our other friends began arriving. i laughed so hard that i was down on the ground several times. when i first met matt and joel 10 years ago, they used to make me laugh so hard i would instantly go down (bladder protection, of course). i know i was young and out of control then, but every once in awhile matt will still get me. but when the three of those boys get together (the andys, matt), it's over for me! anyhoo, when we planned this party, we originally intended to go to oktoberfest, a festival that is across the street from us. but we were all having so much fun just chatting and laughing and hanging out at our house that we never made it over there!
today i got up early and went for a bike and run, in preparation for our muddy buddy. (oh mare--remember how my bike was making those wierd noises during the triath? well, yesterday i took it out for the first time since the race and when i was riding, it broke. it started rattling and swaying and wouldn't even pedal. i had to walk it home--thankfully, i was only a mile away. when i got home, i messed with it a little bit and figured out that the clamp that keeps the rear wheel on was loose--when i lifted the frame, it came straight off of the hanging tire--yikes! thank God that didn't happen during the triath--that would have stunk! anyhow, i think i have it all fixed up now...). then the boys woke up and me and astevens made egg tortillas for breakfast and we headed up to encinitas for a surf session. my first time on my new board! and although the water was rough, it was a smooth ride on my new boardie!!! i was exhausted and weak, and the waves were really strong (i had a couple of runs of pounding sand with my head before i said, "enough!"). we grabbed a pizza with the guys in encinitas and they hit the road and i bought new flipflops to replace my broken ones. yay! (10 points to whoever correctly identifies the number of run-on sentences in this blog entry!).
i'm happy to hear about other readers' plans for life.
a couple others on my list include:
-go snowboarding (hopefully at thanksgiving!)
-get better at surfing
-go to seattle, tanzania, hawaii again, bali, ireland, australia
-ride a century (100 km or mile) bike race (after completing some lesser ones-20/50 miles)--mare? are you in?
-be social director/hospitality coordinator for justin's production company :)
dad, can you do orienteering in teams? if so, we should get a family thing going--it sounds so fun. maybe you wouldn't want me on your team, though. i don't have the best sense of direction. i can read a map, though!
today i got up early and went for a bike and run, in preparation for our muddy buddy. (oh mare--remember how my bike was making those wierd noises during the triath? well, yesterday i took it out for the first time since the race and when i was riding, it broke. it started rattling and swaying and wouldn't even pedal. i had to walk it home--thankfully, i was only a mile away. when i got home, i messed with it a little bit and figured out that the clamp that keeps the rear wheel on was loose--when i lifted the frame, it came straight off of the hanging tire--yikes! thank God that didn't happen during the triath--that would have stunk! anyhow, i think i have it all fixed up now...). then the boys woke up and me and astevens made egg tortillas for breakfast and we headed up to encinitas for a surf session. my first time on my new board! and although the water was rough, it was a smooth ride on my new boardie!!! i was exhausted and weak, and the waves were really strong (i had a couple of runs of pounding sand with my head before i said, "enough!"). we grabbed a pizza with the guys in encinitas and they hit the road and i bought new flipflops to replace my broken ones. yay! (10 points to whoever correctly identifies the number of run-on sentences in this blog entry!).
i'm happy to hear about other readers' plans for life.
a couple others on my list include:
-go snowboarding (hopefully at thanksgiving!)
-get better at surfing
-go to seattle, tanzania, hawaii again, bali, ireland, australia
-ride a century (100 km or mile) bike race (after completing some lesser ones-20/50 miles)--mare? are you in?
-be social director/hospitality coordinator for justin's production company :)
dad, can you do orienteering in teams? if so, we should get a family thing going--it sounds so fun. maybe you wouldn't want me on your team, though. i don't have the best sense of direction. i can read a map, though!
Saturday, October 09, 2004
matt and i had a fun date last night.
we went to starbucks for coffee and sat in big, cushy chairs while we updated our list of "things i want to do in my lifetime".
it was fun to check off all the things that i have done that i set out to do as well.
for example:
-marry the perfect man for me
-move to california
-run a half marathon
-complete a triathlon
-take a ceramics class (i'm currently doing this--did you know that? expect some EXCELLENT christmas gifts! heehee...)
-and a thousand other things...
some things on my new list include:
-complete an adventure race
-learn how to play guitar
-see U2/beastie boys/travoltas in concert
-take a photography class
-get a dog
-take a bike tour (ireland? california?)
-go to some national parks (west and northwest US)
-and lots more that you're probably not interested in..
but i am interested in you, dear reader, and what you have on your list. so let's hear it!
mare, were you joking about the duffel bag and bo sleeping in it? if so, very funny. if not, even more funny! :)
i really must be going, though. my one job today is to get my clothes moved back into my closet in the guest room. they've been taking over matt's closet since early august, since we've had nonstop visitors. ahhh, my own space again! actually, my other job is to get some new flip flops, since my favorite ones broke the other day--so sad!!! :(
so have a good one, everybody!
wait--the fad i participated in (in the 80s) that i am probably most embarrassed of is my mall bangs. you know, the wave of sprayed solid hair sticking 3 inches (at least) off my forehead. this was in addition to a perm (and occasionally i would pull back one side with a plastic clip!) i too, had stirrup pants, which i wore with socks OVER the pants (coordinating with the shirt, of course) and black flats.--that's for you, bobby queen!
we went to starbucks for coffee and sat in big, cushy chairs while we updated our list of "things i want to do in my lifetime".
it was fun to check off all the things that i have done that i set out to do as well.
for example:
-marry the perfect man for me
-move to california
-run a half marathon
-complete a triathlon
-take a ceramics class (i'm currently doing this--did you know that? expect some EXCELLENT christmas gifts! heehee...)
-and a thousand other things...
some things on my new list include:
-complete an adventure race
-learn how to play guitar
-see U2/beastie boys/travoltas in concert
-take a photography class
-get a dog
-take a bike tour (ireland? california?)
-go to some national parks (west and northwest US)
-and lots more that you're probably not interested in..
but i am interested in you, dear reader, and what you have on your list. so let's hear it!
mare, were you joking about the duffel bag and bo sleeping in it? if so, very funny. if not, even more funny! :)
i really must be going, though. my one job today is to get my clothes moved back into my closet in the guest room. they've been taking over matt's closet since early august, since we've had nonstop visitors. ahhh, my own space again! actually, my other job is to get some new flip flops, since my favorite ones broke the other day--so sad!!! :(
so have a good one, everybody!
wait--the fad i participated in (in the 80s) that i am probably most embarrassed of is my mall bangs. you know, the wave of sprayed solid hair sticking 3 inches (at least) off my forehead. this was in addition to a perm (and occasionally i would pull back one side with a plastic clip!) i too, had stirrup pants, which i wore with socks OVER the pants (coordinating with the shirt, of course) and black flats.--that's for you, bobby queen!
Friday, October 08, 2004
whew! made it through another week. i'm finally feeling better, but still not back to normal.
ah, the weekend. i think we're having a little get-together with some friends and the andys will come down from LA tomorrow.
what? more people visiting?
i made a deal with matt that he has to do all the cleaning and prep for this visit and party, because it was my understanding that we would have no more guests until thanksgiving. except that i also got an email from kelly (ramsey) spivey saying that they moved out to san jose and that she has a conference in san diego next weekend. how can we say no? we haven't seen her for 2 years!!! i'm so excited to be able to spend some real time with her!
by the way, here are some links to funny pictures of mary and i after our swim portion of the triath:
mary:
http://www.finishlinemobilephoto.com/mp_client/pictures.asp?action=viewphotos&size=fullsize&pagenum=26&id=417546&eventid=3584
me:
http://www.finishlinemobilephoto.com/mp_client/pictures.asp?action=viewphotos&size=fullsize&pagenum=24&id=417544&eventid=3584
there are also some running and biking ones, but i don't have the energy to cut and paste those deals. i look delirious in both-not to mention my shorts look like they're falling off! mary looks pretty good! there are no pictures of us together (even though we were next to each other the whole time!) and no pictures of us crossing the finish line--bummer, i wanted that one. oh well, we have the memories!
i'm going to try to get some pictures developed for our guestbook tonight--wish me luck! i've been trying to work on this project (for) FOREVER!!!!
and i think matt and i have a date at a fun coffeeshop that has white hot chocolate---SO GOOD, even though i'm not normally a white chocolate fan...
welp, i must be going, i hear matt is home.
have a great weekend everyone!
p.s. i hope acid-washed jeans don't come back!
ah, the weekend. i think we're having a little get-together with some friends and the andys will come down from LA tomorrow.
what? more people visiting?
i made a deal with matt that he has to do all the cleaning and prep for this visit and party, because it was my understanding that we would have no more guests until thanksgiving. except that i also got an email from kelly (ramsey) spivey saying that they moved out to san jose and that she has a conference in san diego next weekend. how can we say no? we haven't seen her for 2 years!!! i'm so excited to be able to spend some real time with her!
by the way, here are some links to funny pictures of mary and i after our swim portion of the triath:
mary:
http://www.finishlinemobilephoto.com/mp_client/pictures.asp?action=viewphotos&size=fullsize&pagenum=26&id=417546&eventid=3584
me:
http://www.finishlinemobilephoto.com/mp_client/pictures.asp?action=viewphotos&size=fullsize&pagenum=24&id=417544&eventid=3584
there are also some running and biking ones, but i don't have the energy to cut and paste those deals. i look delirious in both-not to mention my shorts look like they're falling off! mary looks pretty good! there are no pictures of us together (even though we were next to each other the whole time!) and no pictures of us crossing the finish line--bummer, i wanted that one. oh well, we have the memories!
i'm going to try to get some pictures developed for our guestbook tonight--wish me luck! i've been trying to work on this project (for) FOREVER!!!!
and i think matt and i have a date at a fun coffeeshop that has white hot chocolate---SO GOOD, even though i'm not normally a white chocolate fan...
welp, i must be going, i hear matt is home.
have a great weekend everyone!
p.s. i hope acid-washed jeans don't come back!
Monday, October 04, 2004
Sunday, October 03, 2004
i am a triathlete! and so is mary!
yes!
so crazy to be able to say that!
so here's the story: mare came into town on friday evening and we picked up some wahoo's and enjoyed some conversation. matt and i went to bed early (i don't know why matt conked out! i was still sick-i had an excuse. and by the way, i lost my voice on thursday and it is replaced with a ridiculously hoarse and breathy voice with a ton of pitch breaks. so annoying to talk with and annoying for other people to listen to! it's a little better today, but still annoying).
saturday, mare and i went to the pre-race expo and we went to pick up our numbers and hear a triathlon guru (named "gurujan") talk about details of the triathlon. after what seemed like forever, we finally came home (he had a ton of good things to say, but it dragged on and i was fighting a fever. thankfully, he was at least funny and quirky. and bald. i don't know why that last quality seems important, but it just completes the picture of guru, i think). mare and i both took naps when we got home and sleepily woke up in time to go drop our bikes off at the transition area and go over the course.
mare and i made a yummy carb-loaded meal of spaghetti, bread and cheese, and salad. then we practiced our funny transitions (see her blog for extra details and procedures) while matt made fun of our alien swim-cap heads. "when you see me in this swim cap, you're going to wish you never married me," i said to matt. "you're right," he said when he saw me. HA! unfortunately, the fever i had been battling all day got the best of me. (doesn't God love me? why is He letting this happen to me NOW, of all times?----who else has had these irrational thoughts when you are sick? yet i've never wrestled with God over anything more than i have with disease and illness on this earth. but that's a way longer conversation-i digress...)
then, i got a nice call from my dear friend, heidi, calling to encourage me and give me tips to get better (calcium-for body aches, and a lemon bath, which supposedly draws toxins and infections out of your body through your skin. weird.) matt, mary, and i made a run to jamba juice to get smoothies with immune boosters in them and i came home and took the silly lemon bath and went to bed.
today: mare and i woke up at 5:00 am, full of adrenaline, and me feeling better (lemon bath? the Lord? both? i don't know). when we arrived at the transition area to set up our gear for the race, boy, were we glad we had gone to hear the guru! we had time to process and visualize and rehearse in our heads and were calm and ready to go in the morning. other people were asking out of control unprepared questions (when does my age group race? where do i put my bike?, etc.) and we were so glad to eliminate at least that portion of anxiousness from our day.
THE SWIM: we got halfway into our wetsuits and walked the 1/2 mile to the swim start and watched the pros and elites gracefully gliding through the water. then all the other men raced and mare and i were in the first female wave start. there were 15 wave starts, (1600 people competing total) and mary and i were in the 9th wave start.
anyhoo, as the time came closer to our wave, we got in the freezing cold water and were trying to practice swimming. not easy while hyperventilating from shock :). we were giggling and freaking out and chatting with the other girls in our age group (24-29). i started to feel really nervous and anxious. i heard a girl near me say, "ok, let's pray," to her two friends and i said all out of control, "oh, can we pray with you?" of course we could, they said. and we all held hands and prayed together. i felt better after that. i was telling matt about it after the race and he said, "i know. i saw you. i took a picture of you guys." that made me so happy!
so we got in line with all the other white and green swim caps and treaded water for 5 minutes until the siren signaled our start. we waited a few seconds (again, good advice from mr. guru) and then took off. instantly, i was on top of 5 girls, kicking and flapping! and during the first couple of stroke-breaths, i took in a large mouthful of saltwater. even though we were in a protected bay, the tide was coming in and there were still waves. waves which flung into the mouth. i lost mary and then switched back and forth from front crawl to backstroke when i couldn't breathe (i'm telling you people, it was hard to coordinate the breathing with the freezing cold and adrenaline and saltwater--matt has a hilarious video of this! as i watched, i thought, "hmm. my form looks pretty good." and then you see me stop and start coughing out of control-very funny!). we swam from one point along the shore to another point along the shore, with lifeguards on surfboards and jetskis monitoring us and yelling encouragement. after what seemed like a million years, i finally reached the end and ran to the transition area (maybe 100 yards away?).
TRANSITION #1: mr. guru told us that while swimming, the blood from our brains would be actually trying to get oxygen to our legs and arms, thereby rendering our thinking. i flung off my goggles, swim cap, wetsuit, and then put on my clothes and shoes. my brain apparently forgot how to tie shoes and my fingers were all slow and deliberate, and i was laughing deliriously. mare ran up and started her transition while matt took pictures and i drank some water. "it tastes so sweet [after ingesting saltwater]!" i deliriously shouted to mary, as she deliriously took it from me. ahhhhh, sweet, sweet nectar... matt took some good pictures of the goofballs, and we were off and running with our bikes. we hopped on our bikes once we were out of the transition area and past a chalk line that said, "BIKE MOUNT LINE".
THE BIKE: mare and i went sailing away on our bikes, feeling strong and happy to be out of the water. we were supposed to keep 2 bike lengths of a distance between us (single-file, that is), but we snuck sometimes (when the path was wide or when there weren't many people behind us) and rode together. people commented on our matching shirts-yay! perfect red under armour shirts, for those of you who don't know! one thing about the biking was that people on road bikes were much faster and went flying around us. and we were in our highest gears and couldn't pedal any faster. we circled around this island and then cut through sea world's parking lot. a lady passed us on a turn and then flipped head-first over a curb at the next turn. i screamed-because it looked horrible-- and mare and i slowed way down and yelled, "are you okay?" she looked dazed but said she was alright, so we kept on going. then the end was in sight. we dismounted and ran on our noodle legs toward our bike rack. i heard a crash and turned around to see a wreck of 4 bikes at the dismount line we had just passed.
TRANSITION #2: still running on noodle legs, we ran our bikes back to the rack and i was all confused when i saw that someone had put their bike on top of mine and mare's spot. it only took a few seconds for me to problem solve, though, and we threw our helmets down, grabbed an energy gel and a water and were off and running!
THE RUN: man, we had been dreading this leg of the race when we had talked about it in preparation, but it turned out to be the best leg of the race for both of us. yay! mare said it best, "it feels good to have normal, natural body movement again". this time, WE actually were the ones doing most of the passing and just got into a great flow and rhythm. we passed mile marker #1 and both felt pretty good. we kept on running and looking for mile marker #2 but never saw it. mare remembered that when we reached the top of the bridge we would have less than 1/2 mile left and all of the sudden we were at the base of it. mare led us up the bridge in the passing lane and we probably passed 30-40 people on that deal--YES! when we reached the bottom we could see the tents and the crowds of people up ahead. another few minutes and we saw matt, with his camera and backpack chair in tow. people were yelling and screaming and these guys were telling us to "pick up the pace, last 100 yards!!!" so we did!
THE FINISH: we picked it up, and did a 100 yard stride into the finish line, which we crossed together. the guy who was yelling people's names into the microphone at the finish line yelled in his funny announcer voice, "what's this? i'm seeing double! it's tracey and mary edwards!" we started laughing deliriously again and tried to give each other high fives but missed and laughed even harder and dizzily tried not to fall down as we walked down the chute and gave people our numbers and timing chips. matt was waiting for us there. ahhhh, bliss and success and adrenaline and thank you Lord!
after free food and jamba juice smoothies and lip balm and other free wierd stuff, we came home. mary and i jumped in the hot tub and relived all the fun moments of the race as we soaked our muscles.
now mare and matt are out surfing it up in encinitas with joel and the andys. matt made me (and i decided, too...) stay home because i really am not well. so i'm here resting and feeling like it is 7 at night because this day seems so long! when they get home we will all get into the steaming hot jacuzzi with maybe a drink.
all in all, fantastic day! we'll definitely do another triathlon again someday--it was so much fun and it went by so fast. and maybe the muddy buddy race at the end of the month--see mary's blog for a link!
welp, i'm out.
"i beat my body and make it my slave..."
-I corinthians 9:27a
yes!
so crazy to be able to say that!
so here's the story: mare came into town on friday evening and we picked up some wahoo's and enjoyed some conversation. matt and i went to bed early (i don't know why matt conked out! i was still sick-i had an excuse. and by the way, i lost my voice on thursday and it is replaced with a ridiculously hoarse and breathy voice with a ton of pitch breaks. so annoying to talk with and annoying for other people to listen to! it's a little better today, but still annoying).
saturday, mare and i went to the pre-race expo and we went to pick up our numbers and hear a triathlon guru (named "gurujan") talk about details of the triathlon. after what seemed like forever, we finally came home (he had a ton of good things to say, but it dragged on and i was fighting a fever. thankfully, he was at least funny and quirky. and bald. i don't know why that last quality seems important, but it just completes the picture of guru, i think). mare and i both took naps when we got home and sleepily woke up in time to go drop our bikes off at the transition area and go over the course.
mare and i made a yummy carb-loaded meal of spaghetti, bread and cheese, and salad. then we practiced our funny transitions (see her blog for extra details and procedures) while matt made fun of our alien swim-cap heads. "when you see me in this swim cap, you're going to wish you never married me," i said to matt. "you're right," he said when he saw me. HA! unfortunately, the fever i had been battling all day got the best of me. (doesn't God love me? why is He letting this happen to me NOW, of all times?----who else has had these irrational thoughts when you are sick? yet i've never wrestled with God over anything more than i have with disease and illness on this earth. but that's a way longer conversation-i digress...)
then, i got a nice call from my dear friend, heidi, calling to encourage me and give me tips to get better (calcium-for body aches, and a lemon bath, which supposedly draws toxins and infections out of your body through your skin. weird.) matt, mary, and i made a run to jamba juice to get smoothies with immune boosters in them and i came home and took the silly lemon bath and went to bed.
today: mare and i woke up at 5:00 am, full of adrenaline, and me feeling better (lemon bath? the Lord? both? i don't know). when we arrived at the transition area to set up our gear for the race, boy, were we glad we had gone to hear the guru! we had time to process and visualize and rehearse in our heads and were calm and ready to go in the morning. other people were asking out of control unprepared questions (when does my age group race? where do i put my bike?, etc.) and we were so glad to eliminate at least that portion of anxiousness from our day.
THE SWIM: we got halfway into our wetsuits and walked the 1/2 mile to the swim start and watched the pros and elites gracefully gliding through the water. then all the other men raced and mare and i were in the first female wave start. there were 15 wave starts, (1600 people competing total) and mary and i were in the 9th wave start.
anyhoo, as the time came closer to our wave, we got in the freezing cold water and were trying to practice swimming. not easy while hyperventilating from shock :). we were giggling and freaking out and chatting with the other girls in our age group (24-29). i started to feel really nervous and anxious. i heard a girl near me say, "ok, let's pray," to her two friends and i said all out of control, "oh, can we pray with you?" of course we could, they said. and we all held hands and prayed together. i felt better after that. i was telling matt about it after the race and he said, "i know. i saw you. i took a picture of you guys." that made me so happy!
so we got in line with all the other white and green swim caps and treaded water for 5 minutes until the siren signaled our start. we waited a few seconds (again, good advice from mr. guru) and then took off. instantly, i was on top of 5 girls, kicking and flapping! and during the first couple of stroke-breaths, i took in a large mouthful of saltwater. even though we were in a protected bay, the tide was coming in and there were still waves. waves which flung into the mouth. i lost mary and then switched back and forth from front crawl to backstroke when i couldn't breathe (i'm telling you people, it was hard to coordinate the breathing with the freezing cold and adrenaline and saltwater--matt has a hilarious video of this! as i watched, i thought, "hmm. my form looks pretty good." and then you see me stop and start coughing out of control-very funny!). we swam from one point along the shore to another point along the shore, with lifeguards on surfboards and jetskis monitoring us and yelling encouragement. after what seemed like a million years, i finally reached the end and ran to the transition area (maybe 100 yards away?).
TRANSITION #1: mr. guru told us that while swimming, the blood from our brains would be actually trying to get oxygen to our legs and arms, thereby rendering our thinking. i flung off my goggles, swim cap, wetsuit, and then put on my clothes and shoes. my brain apparently forgot how to tie shoes and my fingers were all slow and deliberate, and i was laughing deliriously. mare ran up and started her transition while matt took pictures and i drank some water. "it tastes so sweet [after ingesting saltwater]!" i deliriously shouted to mary, as she deliriously took it from me. ahhhhh, sweet, sweet nectar... matt took some good pictures of the goofballs, and we were off and running with our bikes. we hopped on our bikes once we were out of the transition area and past a chalk line that said, "BIKE MOUNT LINE".
THE BIKE: mare and i went sailing away on our bikes, feeling strong and happy to be out of the water. we were supposed to keep 2 bike lengths of a distance between us (single-file, that is), but we snuck sometimes (when the path was wide or when there weren't many people behind us) and rode together. people commented on our matching shirts-yay! perfect red under armour shirts, for those of you who don't know! one thing about the biking was that people on road bikes were much faster and went flying around us. and we were in our highest gears and couldn't pedal any faster. we circled around this island and then cut through sea world's parking lot. a lady passed us on a turn and then flipped head-first over a curb at the next turn. i screamed-because it looked horrible-- and mare and i slowed way down and yelled, "are you okay?" she looked dazed but said she was alright, so we kept on going. then the end was in sight. we dismounted and ran on our noodle legs toward our bike rack. i heard a crash and turned around to see a wreck of 4 bikes at the dismount line we had just passed.
TRANSITION #2: still running on noodle legs, we ran our bikes back to the rack and i was all confused when i saw that someone had put their bike on top of mine and mare's spot. it only took a few seconds for me to problem solve, though, and we threw our helmets down, grabbed an energy gel and a water and were off and running!
THE RUN: man, we had been dreading this leg of the race when we had talked about it in preparation, but it turned out to be the best leg of the race for both of us. yay! mare said it best, "it feels good to have normal, natural body movement again". this time, WE actually were the ones doing most of the passing and just got into a great flow and rhythm. we passed mile marker #1 and both felt pretty good. we kept on running and looking for mile marker #2 but never saw it. mare remembered that when we reached the top of the bridge we would have less than 1/2 mile left and all of the sudden we were at the base of it. mare led us up the bridge in the passing lane and we probably passed 30-40 people on that deal--YES! when we reached the bottom we could see the tents and the crowds of people up ahead. another few minutes and we saw matt, with his camera and backpack chair in tow. people were yelling and screaming and these guys were telling us to "pick up the pace, last 100 yards!!!" so we did!
THE FINISH: we picked it up, and did a 100 yard stride into the finish line, which we crossed together. the guy who was yelling people's names into the microphone at the finish line yelled in his funny announcer voice, "what's this? i'm seeing double! it's tracey and mary edwards!" we started laughing deliriously again and tried to give each other high fives but missed and laughed even harder and dizzily tried not to fall down as we walked down the chute and gave people our numbers and timing chips. matt was waiting for us there. ahhhh, bliss and success and adrenaline and thank you Lord!
after free food and jamba juice smoothies and lip balm and other free wierd stuff, we came home. mary and i jumped in the hot tub and relived all the fun moments of the race as we soaked our muscles.
now mare and matt are out surfing it up in encinitas with joel and the andys. matt made me (and i decided, too...) stay home because i really am not well. so i'm here resting and feeling like it is 7 at night because this day seems so long! when they get home we will all get into the steaming hot jacuzzi with maybe a drink.
all in all, fantastic day! we'll definitely do another triathlon again someday--it was so much fun and it went by so fast. and maybe the muddy buddy race at the end of the month--see mary's blog for a link!
welp, i'm out.
"i beat my body and make it my slave..."
-I corinthians 9:27a
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
we had a great visit with mom and dad edwards this past week. we went to santa monica, saw the padres play, checked out matt's office, hiked a little at torrey pines, made flavored martinis, went shopping everywhere, and ate, ate, ate!!! mom and dad spoiled us with so many great meals that i think we're each 5 pounds heavier! they also surprised me with an early birthday present last night--a trip to OB surf shops to get my very own board!!!! yes!!! it is a very cool, 7' 4" board, aqua-blue with a couple of white stripes. it's all waxed up and i'm ready to get on it!!!!!
unfortunately, last night i started to feel unnaturally tired and woke up at 3am with symptoms of a sinus infection. noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! i finally dozed off again around 5am and slept restlessly until 7:30am. normally, i would have sucked it up and gone into work feeling bad, but we have been training for so long for this triathlon, and i HAVE to be healthy by sunday (and sinus infections can go on forever...). so i called off, went to the chiropractor (who is a straight shooter, which i like, but funnily became all fatherly when he saw how awful i was feeling!), and have been resting and loading up on vitamins, water and soup all day long. my fever finally broke around 4pm, and i've been feeling a little bit better this evening. i pray that my body recovers overnight. i hate when sickness interferes with my life. but this little thing does not even BEGIN to compare with what justin deals with on a daily basis.
welp, i'm headed off to watch scrubs and then enter into a healing sleep.
goodnight!
unfortunately, last night i started to feel unnaturally tired and woke up at 3am with symptoms of a sinus infection. noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! i finally dozed off again around 5am and slept restlessly until 7:30am. normally, i would have sucked it up and gone into work feeling bad, but we have been training for so long for this triathlon, and i HAVE to be healthy by sunday (and sinus infections can go on forever...). so i called off, went to the chiropractor (who is a straight shooter, which i like, but funnily became all fatherly when he saw how awful i was feeling!), and have been resting and loading up on vitamins, water and soup all day long. my fever finally broke around 4pm, and i've been feeling a little bit better this evening. i pray that my body recovers overnight. i hate when sickness interferes with my life. but this little thing does not even BEGIN to compare with what justin deals with on a daily basis.
welp, i'm headed off to watch scrubs and then enter into a healing sleep.
goodnight!
Sunday, September 19, 2004
we just returned from a fantastic show tonight--franz ferdinand was so energetic and fun, i would have paid the $ to see them alone. secret machines were excellent, deathcab was a little boring, which was a disappointment, because i love them. but they were the second band to play and maybe the sound wasn't quite right--they were really cool and humble guys, though. muse was surprisingly entertaining (a tiny bit goth-style with the electronica and odd bass distortion) and very rockin. i probably still won't get their cd, but if anyone loves them, they give a great live show. we left before the yeah yeah yeahs came on, because i hate the atmosphere they bring to a place. so we left on a perfect franz ferdinand-happy-60's ish set-beatles-esque positioning on stage-fun-energy-filled note!!!!
and i agree with dad edwards: it seems we are running a free bed and breakfast! :) we were expecting astevens (and maybe mccann again) for this weekend, but as matt mentioned, they ended up bringing 2 friends we didn't know. they were fine, but it takes energy to entertain and make conversation with people you don't know. i would have rather just had the andys and been able to just chill. we went surfing up in encinitas today. or shall i say, we went to battle the ridiculous undercurrent in encinitas today. i tried to get out past the whitewater, but after fighting for 15 minutes of the strongest ripcurrent i have ever been in, i gave up and just watched the boys as only 1 out of the 4 caught a single wave. darn.
all of the sudden, it feels like fall. this time last week, we were roasting and sweating all day and keeping all the windows and doors open through the night. tonight i had to close everything up-AND WEAR SOCKS!!!-(which is disturbing, since it has been several months since i've had to do that--aside from exercising, of course) because it was actually pretty chilly. i just hope the weather stays nice for the next 2 weeks worth of visitors (mom and dad edwards this weds, mary next friday). plus, it would be nice not to have to wear a wetsuit for a little bit longer, at least.
welp, monday is here again.
i have a busy week ahead of me.
have a good one, everybody!
and i agree with dad edwards: it seems we are running a free bed and breakfast! :) we were expecting astevens (and maybe mccann again) for this weekend, but as matt mentioned, they ended up bringing 2 friends we didn't know. they were fine, but it takes energy to entertain and make conversation with people you don't know. i would have rather just had the andys and been able to just chill. we went surfing up in encinitas today. or shall i say, we went to battle the ridiculous undercurrent in encinitas today. i tried to get out past the whitewater, but after fighting for 15 minutes of the strongest ripcurrent i have ever been in, i gave up and just watched the boys as only 1 out of the 4 caught a single wave. darn.
all of the sudden, it feels like fall. this time last week, we were roasting and sweating all day and keeping all the windows and doors open through the night. tonight i had to close everything up-AND WEAR SOCKS!!!-(which is disturbing, since it has been several months since i've had to do that--aside from exercising, of course) because it was actually pretty chilly. i just hope the weather stays nice for the next 2 weeks worth of visitors (mom and dad edwards this weds, mary next friday). plus, it would be nice not to have to wear a wetsuit for a little bit longer, at least.
welp, monday is here again.
i have a busy week ahead of me.
have a good one, everybody!
Saturday, September 18, 2004
i practiced my swim to bike transition this morning as i completed 2/3 of a triathlon (mare, it took me about 1 hour 10 minutes with dryoff and driving home-just 1/2 mile-- to get my bike). but hilariously i hopped out of the ymca pool and flung on my shoes and clothes over my wet bathing suit. i wish i could have videotaped that awkwardness, i'm sure the lifeguard was like, "what is she doing?". only 2 weeks until our race! i MUST practice an open water swim before this deal goes down. there are some moms at my school who swim the la jolla cove every saturday, so i will have to do it next saturday morning... mare, did you end up getting us shorts for the triath?
we met joel and elisha and andy mccann up in orange county to see lassie foundation on thursday night. lassie was supposed to play second, at 10:00, which was late as it was. then when we got there the guy at the door told us they had been moved to playing last, like at 11:30. we obviously ended up staying much later than planned but had a fun time with those three.
and tomorrow night we get to see franz ferdinand, secret machines, deathcab, yeah yeah yeahs and someone else. why can't i retain that information? either way, i'm pumped!!! and then the pixies and the thrills on tuesday! then mom and dad edwards come in town on thursday-yay!
justin, i pray for you always.
how we race
all our lives
erased
-secret machines
we met joel and elisha and andy mccann up in orange county to see lassie foundation on thursday night. lassie was supposed to play second, at 10:00, which was late as it was. then when we got there the guy at the door told us they had been moved to playing last, like at 11:30. we obviously ended up staying much later than planned but had a fun time with those three.
and tomorrow night we get to see franz ferdinand, secret machines, deathcab, yeah yeah yeahs and someone else. why can't i retain that information? either way, i'm pumped!!! and then the pixies and the thrills on tuesday! then mom and dad edwards come in town on thursday-yay!
justin, i pray for you always.
how we race
all our lives
erased
-secret machines
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
ahhh... last night matt went to drop jeb and jay off at the airport and i instantly washed the 3 sets of guest sheets and a bunch of towels (you may think i'm efficient, but we've got quite a little bed and breakfast going here-we have to be ready!). so then i went to pilates. when i came home and matt was back and we were just sitting at the computer, listening to the new thrills album and enjoying actually spending some time with each other. it was so nice. five minutes later, our cell phone rings. by the time matt gets upstairs, we have missed the call. but the caller is leaving a message, so he listens to it in a minute. it is jay, saying that all flights have been cancelled out of san diego and they can't get a flight until tomorrow. they're coming back. (sigh)
soooooooooooooooo, i miss my husband!!! i can't wait to see him tonight!
other excitement involved joel coming down from LA on monday to surf with the guys, with plans to return back home that evening. however, things did not go as planned. first of all, poor guy took a wrong turn and what was supposed to be a 2-hour drive turned into a 5-hour drive in LA's rush hour traffic. then, when he finally did arrive, he had been in the water no more than 30 minutes when he took a surfboard to the head and had to go to the emergency room for 9 stitches. needless to say, he decided to crash at our place and mccann stayed another night, too. we had such a good time catching up with those guys!
some good concerts coming up: lassie foundation, the thrills/mars volta, the pixies, and finally eisley and snow patrol.
so baby let's split tonight
i've got a tank full of gas to light
yeah we could drive for miles and miles....
-the thrills
soooooooooooooooo, i miss my husband!!! i can't wait to see him tonight!
other excitement involved joel coming down from LA on monday to surf with the guys, with plans to return back home that evening. however, things did not go as planned. first of all, poor guy took a wrong turn and what was supposed to be a 2-hour drive turned into a 5-hour drive in LA's rush hour traffic. then, when he finally did arrive, he had been in the water no more than 30 minutes when he took a surfboard to the head and had to go to the emergency room for 9 stitches. needless to say, he decided to crash at our place and mccann stayed another night, too. we had such a good time catching up with those guys!
some good concerts coming up: lassie foundation, the thrills/mars volta, the pixies, and finally eisley and snow patrol.
so baby let's split tonight
i've got a tank full of gas to light
yeah we could drive for miles and miles....
-the thrills