Hiking Green Mountain

We hiked the top of Green Mountain last Saturday. It was awesome. I realize how much I miss hiking and trail running. The views from the top were amazing and some random guy commented on how well Cole did on the hike and then handed him a special coin from the Secretary of Argiculture. It was really cool. That's why kids should hike more instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons.

At the top of Green Mountain

So, put your walking shoes and get out in the great outdoors. I highly recommend it. So much so that Cole nows owns a new pair of hiking boots and we are making it our mission every Saturday morning for at least the month of September, to go for a new hike. We love to explore.

Happy Birthday Grammy

Yesterday we celebrated my Mom's 58th birthday. Thank you Virgil and Allene for having my mother. Without her, Derrick and I would not exist, and that would mean no sweet grandbabies. And we all know how much Grammy loves her grandbabies.

Seriously, Mom. I love you. I hope you had a great day! Here are some fun pictures from Casa Bonita celebration:

jumpNrope

This video is from my jump rope class.

Check it out, here.

Fun, huh?

Sweet Baby Cole

First day of 1st grade. You and Mrs. O'Hara are going to be great together! Getting ready for 1st grade at the real barber shop. I didn't get an after shot, but you were so handsome....

Aikido - really, does it get any cuter? Fun at Boondocks!
Baby Cole - I know you aren't a baby anymore, but I'm always going to call you my baby, because you are. I love you so much. Thank you for hanging out with me and making me laugh. You're super awesome!

Mega Swim

After the big 42nd birthday celebration, the rest of the weekend was spent in Ft. Collins getting ready for this silly 10k swim at Horsetooth Reservoir.

Check out the video. Thanks Charlie for putting that together.

In the video at the end I say it took me 3:20 but it really took me 3:33! Slacker!

Big thanks to Mr. W. for all his support as my paddler. And a huge thanks to all my friends and family who encouraged me along the way. Remember, Windsor? The race I pulled out of. That was tramatic for me, but it was my friends who got me past that hurdle. It's my friends that got me to that finish line, who believed in me. I really can't thank you enough. It's these words and more (like Mr. W. yelling at me to knock it off when I started crying at mile 5.5 because I was so tired) that got me to the end...

*******************************
Wen,
I am so proud of you my friend! No matter what hapens on race day, you have done months of training and being uncomfortable. The race is just a litttle piece of all you have already done. I wish I could be there. But know I am thinking of you, sending you warm thoughts, and know you will kick ass! because you ROCK my friend!
Love ya!
Michelle
********************************
Hi Wendy,
I am so impressed with your effort. I am not surprised that you have trained so hard. When you make your mind up to do something, you do it, gracefully and humbly. I am not surprised and wont be surprised that you are going to finish this race, but know that even if you don’t, your win when you get to the starting line.
Good Luck,
Peter
********************************
Rachel Greenberg Matz commented on your status: ""Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely."" Thoughts after Windsor....spot on.

Post race: Friend - i am SOOO proud of you for accomplishing a huge goal today!! all the dedication, training, mental perserverance, and energy you put into today really paid off. it was so amazing watching you swim across the finish line. what a huge physical and mental accomplishment!! sierra, ryder and i were really happy to be a part of it, thanks for inviting us. :)
********************************
Charlie sent me a great quote on race day but I can't find it....lame! It was really awesome.
********************************
Even my jump rope instructor: I want to recognize one of our jumpers, Wendy Velez. She is participating in a super insane crazy awesome event this weekend at Horsetooth Reservoir. She is swimming a 10K in open water - no wetsuit.. Not only is Wendy a super fast jumper, she is an amazing fish! GO WENDY!

Happy (belated) Birthday

Happy 42nd Birthday Mr. W. Sorry the post is belated - atleast the party was on time. I surprised you with a night out that included a sushi dinner (remember the Big Lebowski roll...yummy!) and tickets to the Toby Keith concert. The weather was perfect and we had fun watching all the drunk people at the concert.

Then, we had a party at the house with cake and ice cream - your favorite from Whole Foods. Dena, you've scarred us for life with this cake. To help celebrate your 42nd birthday were: Umple Joe and Michael, Veronica and the kids, Grandma and Grandpa, Cesar and Sofia. It was fabulous!

A Vacation of Sorts

Me and Emma (after she played in the rain) - I love you girl!

My dad and sister were in town this weekend. It was a really mellow and relaxed visit and I had a great time hanging out them and hanging out with my brother and his family. We ate great food, drank good wine, watched the kids play, went to the Flea Market, had friends over, played at Water World - surprisingly with no kid melt downs, and really just enjoyed each others company.

The kids played in the rain one afternoon. They were drenched.

Thanks for some much needed time off.

We missed you Grandma Carol.

Hugs and Kisses to All!

Camping with Cole

Cole and I took the dogs up to Poudre Canyon near Ft. Collins to enjoy some good old outdoor fun. Here's what it looked like.

Pick Cole up from school

Drive to Ft. Collins - only an hour - thank goodness

Set up camp - easy enough - thank you REI for easy tents

Drive to the river, play in the river, LOVED this part. Should have brought our camping chairs with us, but they were at camp. Humph!

Stop by corner store, eat 8 hour old hot dogs - they were pretty good - that's gross right?

Go back to camp

Make a fire - I can make a mean fire - right Rach?

Roast marshmellows

Watch fire until it gets very small

Hop in tent and send time whispering sweet nothings with Cole until he finally fell asleep at 10pm

I watched the stars from the tent window - It was awesome!

Then 5:30 a.m. wake call with the sun and we were out of camp by 7

It went by really fast but we had a great time.

Latest 10

I feel like I've missed many important and interesting things over the past month, but do you think I remember what they are? I just know that important and interesting things have been happening around here.

Let's see what I can remember that happened longer than a minute ago:

1. Cole learned to tie his shoes. Candy is a wonderful incentive.

2. I had a fantastic trip to NYC and are planning on meeting up with some of my new girlfriends in Chicago in October. Chicago in October - doesn't it just sound perfect?

3. Speaking of NYC - the conference I went to re-energized me and gave me new ideas about leading my team. I realized I've been stuck in my office too much. I need to give some love to my peeps.

So, I just spent two hours baking a bunch of cakes and tomorrow, during a meeting, I'm going to announce a CHALLENGE in which I break the team into groups and they get to make something with all these fun cakes. They will have to work as a team in a short amount of time with a very limited supplies of tools. All while 20 eyes are watching them to see who comes up with the most CREATIVE, the most ORIGINAL, and the BEST THEME! We're going to have some fun tomorrow. Other fun CHALLENGES coming up in the spirit of teambuilding are making a NITA commercial and a NITA jingle. It's amazing how creative people can get.

4. I still haven't sent out Thank You's from Cole's birthday party that was a month ago. Although I am stealing Rachel's card idea. It was just too cute.

5. Cole starts First grade on Tuesday. Seriously? My sweet baby monkey.

6. We had a blast with Grandpa Jack and Aunt Emma. See seperate post.

7. Cole and I went camping. See seperate post.

8. My swim is in 4 days!

9. I'm getting excited for fall. I want to bowl again.

10. I want to start running again. I miss it.

The effects

I'll be swimming 6.2 miles - from one end to the other in 65 degree water with no wetsuit - absolutely stupid

I've smelled like chlorine for going on seven months now. The time is nearing when I may be odor free. Actually, the smell of chlorine was much stronger in the beginning, especially when I would sweat. It would just seep out of my pores. Now, Ithink it's so far deep that even sweat won't release it...that, or my nose has grown accustom to my new fragrance. Besides, my odor, there is the hair. Brittle and dry and again, the stench of chlorine. Hair, I am sorry. I know it's not good to wash you everyday let alone twice a day. Please forgive me. Then there is my alligator dry skin, cracked toes from flip turns, constant google marks around my eyes, stuffy nose, pruned skin (which sadly I don't even notice anymore). In 13 days, I promise to give it a break.

I have the best neighbors and friends in the world. Thanks Cesar and Dena for sitting at the house time and again while I go swim when CV is out of town. And to Megan for being willing to babysit at 5:30 in the morning. And to Peter for finding me a pool while I was in NYC.


Tonight, during my practice, I got goosebumps while I was swimming because I was thinking about the race. I wasn't thinking about how cold it was going to be, I was imagining myself finishing. I'm going to take cold baths for the next two weeks. My body is ready. My brain is getting there. And, to be honest, I'm starting to get kindof (big emphasis on kindof) excited to do this thing. I swam 8600 meters on Saturday. Another 3700 tonight. And last week, I did about 16,700. I think I'm peaked....and tired.


Good night world.