Dear Snohomish,

I love thee.

Despite the fact that I have been stricken with elephantitis (not really - just feels like it) in my knee, Dave is nursing an inflamed foot pad and Benjamin is fighting off a nasty virus, we are doing well and drinking in the fleeting drops of a shortened, yet delightful summer season.

To ward off Cabin Fever Ick, we adjourned to our newly-stained deck for a moment of repose and some good country air. Although we were only out there for less than 30 minutes, it was a divinely cathartic experience.

This place we call home is a little slice of heaven. It brings me clarity, peace and insane amounts of happiness.

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

sidelined.

again.

Last year, it was a pulled illiopsoas muscle (my left hip flexor).

A summer filled with physical therapy and constantly fixing my poor posture/ergonomics at work, followed by the acquisition of corrective running shoes and corrective inserts helped alleviate the problem.

But the triathlon? A dream deferred.

This year, let me introduce you to my latest triathlon-goal killer: chondrocalcinosis.

Not a new issue for me, but one that I had not waged battle with since the turn of the century. Darn calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals; you do heinous things to my much-needed joints. With the event only 11 days away, the prospects are not looking great. But, I'm trying to be optimistic. With excessive swelling in my knee from this arthritic-type condition, it's nearly impossible to run, swim or bike... let alone, walk. I have to contort myself in funny ways to go up stairs, get in the car, sit on the ground, get up from the ground. I am trying to be optimistic, but I am feeling discouraged that I can't do much of anything right now.

Below are some post-doctor's visit pics. Unfortunately, my PCP is on vacation, so I saw the clinic's ARNP. Super nice lady, but she is not certified to give me a cortisone injection and no one else wanted to touch me because they did not have any 1-on-1 time with me. More frustration. But I put on a good face as the x-ray tech worked her magic and the phlebotomist painfully prodded my vein. I may get to go back to get poked with the gigantor needle if a heavy-duty anti-inflammatory doesn't whip these crystal buggers into shape.

Perhaps this person is not meant to be transformed into a triathlete.

Time will tell.

Remembering Jenny

Jennifer Lynne Marchant

August 23, 1984 - August 6, 1988

I remember August 6th, 1988 with great clarity - the day my littlest sister passed away. I would rather not remember because the memories still bring back a very visceral pain and strong emotions which words cannot adequately convey. Time has healed the wounds, in a way, but that incredible sadness is still as present as the day she departed. While every family member processed her death differently, I know that each would express similar sentiments.

Each year, my family celebrates her birthday. Sometimes it's a quick visit to the gravesite while other times we just sit and talk. This year, 23 years after her death, we celebrated her birthday in a joyous way, together. My mom's friend invited us for a day at the lake (I blogged about that already), there was a visit to the gravesite and then everyone came over to our house for a big birthday dinner, complete with baked spaghetti, french bread, chopped salad, lemonade and ice cream cake. As right or wrong as it may be, food brings comfort to the soul.

In the cool of the evening, we sat around the table out on our deck, sharing good food and memories that have been tucked away in our hearts. It was a special night. These moments come few and far between, but I'm grateful for them because they help me remember. I remember that sweet, little girl, I recall my focus to live worthy to see her again and I give heartfelt thanks for the incredibly sacred blessings of eternal families and eternal life.

_____________________________

What do you do in the Summertime?

If you're in Seattle, you make every RAY of sunshine count!

When the weatherman presented the weekend forecast, we knew we had to take advantage of the stellar weather. Dave planned a bike ride to Sultan with Bret, and then we'd meet up later to spend the afternoon at Phantom Lake. And quite fortuitously for me (not sure if Dave thinks so now!), Dave's brother randomly called up last night and offered to take Benjamin over to the lake so that we Dave & I could bike over there together.

With all of that mileage, Dave was in for nearly a Century ride today. He logged in about 50 miles with the morning ride. Because we don't own a bike rack (yet), he then rode down to his parents' home in Edmonds where I was waiting for him. I'd driven down there with Benjamin and my bike in tow, did the hand-off with Jon and waited for Dave to roll in. By the time he arrived, he was at 65 miles... and he was pretty darn tired, as you can imagine. But, being the supportive husband that he is, he jumped back on his bike and rode with me from Edmonds to Phantom Lake/Bellevue, which brought his grand total to 90!

I loved the ride, while - unfortunately - Dave was cramping up and fighting the urge to spew. At one point, he "hit a wall" and told me to go on ahead and he'd catch up. It was a long straight-away, so I pulled out all the stops. With his bike computer hitting 17mph, he figured I had sailed past him a good 5 mph faster. Letting loose like that felt amazing, but that doesn't even begin to describe it: the bike felt good and I felt good on it. I LOVE ride days like that! The one minor issue happened on a short, steep pitch; while pushing hard up the hill, my back wheel caught a patch of slippery moss and I became well-acquainted with a prickly blackberry bush. Besides a few scratches across my shin and knee, I came away no worse for the wear.

We finally rolled into Ruthie's driveway, after ~90 minutes in the saddle. Jon was a rockstar babysitter/amazing uncle: he changed Benjamin into swim clothes, then took him for a swim, gave him lunch, spread out a blanket and played catch with him for several hours. Seriously, I could have kissed him for being so wonderful - except that would have been a bit awkward. And wildly inappropriate. But still, he totally ranked high in my book today. Dave and I really needed that time.

While Dave collapsed from exhaustion, I jumped into the lake with Benjamin, Alice and Lucy and loads of fun flotation devices. We had a grand time splashing about and soaking in that luscious Vitamin D. Sadly, Benjamin was tired and still feeling a bit under the weather, so I took him out and let him cozy up with Dave to warm up. He perked up right away and spent the rest of the afternoon in the sand pit with all of the cousins.

Finally, dinner time! With Ben and Kathleen just returning from their anniversary get-away, "the kids" sort of threw together a spontaneous barbecue. We had hamburgers, turkey burgers, chips, broccoli salad, chicken, watermelon, pineapple and frosted brownies. It was the perfect way to cap off a wonderful day in the sun.

That summer we've been asking for has finally come to Seattle and we are eking out every precious minute of it!

Calling in Sick

Esta enfermo

I had to document this. It's a rare sight for Benjamin to be cozied up to anything or anyone for any length of time. First it was the couch, then my lap. Having Benjamin snuggle in my lap hardly EVER happens.

But our little dude is sick.

At 4am, I was awoken by desperate cries coming from Benjamin's room. I swooped him up, cradled him for a while to calm his agitated, feverish body, then let him cozy up next to me in our bed. He was asleep again before my head hit the pillow beside him.

Morning came a few hours later, but he was still exhausted. After giving him some ibuprofen, I laid him back into his crib, only to find - undiscovered earlier at 4am - he had thrown up in his crib and everything was covered. I deftly peeled the soiled items from beneath him, removed his pjs and brought in some clean blankets.

I had big plans for today. An hour run - cancelled. A dinner party planning meeting - cancelled. Running errands - cancelled. Instead, we laid low... really low. I let him lounge in pjs all day, sip on grape Pedialyte and watch inordinate amounts of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

And I let him snuggle up to me as much as he wanted.

Lolling on Lake Loma

Now that summer has arrived, we are trying to cram in as many fun, hot-weather activities into each day as possible. You never know if Mother Nature is going to linger for more than a couple of days, so best to cram away!

One of mom's good friends, Cindy, owns a lovely home on Lake Loma, which is one of the 7 Lakes off of Firetrail in Marysville. She is one of the sweetest women I know and for some crazy reason, she invited our whole family over for a day at the lake. Never passing up an amazing opportunity, we took her up on it!

Cindy's home had a lot to offer: ping pong, kayaks, paddleboats, floats, swimming, wading pool and much more! Benjamin was hesitant to jump in after feeling the cool water of the kiddie pool, but eventually he jumped in and decided to spend the majority of his day slipping, sliding and smiling. Basically, this boy + water = LOVE.

When Benjamin decided he was ready for bigger waters, Uncle Brent was so sweet to play and watch over him. They played catch with a water football, which basically forever solidified Brent as the "Best Uncle Ever" in his book.

My Lakeside View

Best buds - aren't they the cutest?

Jen, Ethan, Ady & Colin docking the paddleboat

We munched on peanut butter & creamed honey sandwiches, piled between heavenly wheat bread; cold, yet crispy friend chicken; crunchy carrots sticks; chewy cookies and rice crispie treats; and lots of fresh fruit. It was a nice and lazy, late summer afternoon, filled with lots of sun, ample water activities, crazy cousin fun and peanut butter-smeared smiles. In my book, it was practically perfect in every way.

In the Training Trenches

What I've been up to lately... or why my blog posts have been few & far between.

This image basically sums it up:

My life has been spent doing "Swim*Bike*Run*Repeat" for the last month or so. I'm currently 3/4 of the way through my 8 week training program. For those playing at home, that means I'm on Week 6, Day 3 - 15 minutes of swimming and 40 minutes of running. Who would have ever thought I would be running - for 40 minutes straight? Not me, that's who!

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Strength	Run 30 min	Bike 45 Strength	Swim 20 Run 25	Rest	Run 30 min	Swim 30 Run 30
2	Strength	Bike 30 Run 15	Swim 15 Run 30	Run 30 Strength	Rest	Run 35 min	Swim 30 Bike 30
3	Strength	Run 35 min	Bike 50 Strength	Swim 30 Run 20	Rest	Run 40 min	Swim 30 Run 45
4	Strength	Bike 40 Run 10	Swim 30 Run 15	Run 30 Strength	Rest	Run 45 min	All 3 90 min
5	Strength	Run 40 min	Bike 30 Strength	Swim 30 Run 25	Rest	Run 50 min	Swim 30 Run 45
6	Strength	Bike 40 Run 15	Swim 15 Run 40	Run 40 Strength	Rest	Run 55 min	Swim 30 Bike 60
7	Strength	Run 45 min	Bike 40 Strength	Swim 30 Run 30	Rest	Run 60 min	Swim 30 Run 60
8	Strength	Bike 30 Run 30	Swim 30 Run 30	Run 30	Rest	Rest	Triathlon

Many folks have been asking how it's going. That's a tough question.

Training has pushed me harder than I have ever pushed myself before, despite the fact that is only a sprint tri. It's been good. It's been absolutely awful. Some days I revel in the mini goals I've achieved. Some days I curse my body for being so weak and lethargic. I strive for it but haven't always been perfect, both in terms of training regime and nutrition. While doing the 30th lunge in strength class, my muscles are so fatigued that they shake violently. But then, at times, I just feel strong. It's so strange to get to know this new body of mine. I marvel in the things this amazing body can actually do; things I never thought possible. So, you know, that discovery is very cool.

I just hope I'm ready - and pray that I don't die - come Race Day.