Thursday Thirteen #33

Thirteen Quotes

My Thursday Thirteen is back after an inadvertent two week hiatus. Today I bring you thirteen quotes I have seen recently that I loved!

1. A love affair with knowledge will never end in heartbreak. ~ Michael Garrett Marino

3. The real problem of leisure time is how to keep others from using yours. ~ Arthur Lacey

4. Map out your future – but do it in pencil. The road ahead is as long as you make it. Make it worth the trip. ~ Jon Bon Jovi

5. A kiss is just a pleasant reminder that two heads are better than one. ~ Author Unknown

6. Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

7. You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. ~ John Wooden

8. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. ~ Carl G. Jung

9. Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume. ~ Jean de Boufflers

10. He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything. ~ Arabian proverb

11. The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination. ~ Marian Zimmer Bradley

12. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. ~ Winston Churchill

13. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart. ~ Anonymous

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Finally!

I have been hoping Olivia would get interested in some sort of activity at school, but I didn't want to push her into anything she didn't really enjoy -- like sports. A couple of her friends joined the stage crew for the school & community plays, and she decided she wanted to join as well.

Last night was her first night & she already had paint on one of the pockets of her jeans. Luckily, I was able to get most of the paint out. What didn't come out isn't noticeable so the jeans weren't a complete loss. Today she brought a change of clothes -- without being told.

I know I have mentioned in the past that she would struggle with getting assignments in on time and being prepared for tests. I am happy to say so far this year she is doing really well. She hasn't missed an assignment and most of her test grades are really good. There were a couple pop quizzes that should have been better, but her overall her grades are WAY above where they would have been in that past at this point in the year. We are so proud of her.

I guess she has finally learned from all the years of mom & dad nagging talking with her!

Happy 38th

To my favorite QB! ;)

Menu Plan Monday #2

A couple of the meals planned for last week got moved to this week. I just didn't feel like baking a ham when our temps were in the mid to high 80s. The high temps are breaking right now. Tomorrow should bring perfect weather for using an oven.

October 8 - October 14, 2007

Monday: Leftovers from dining out over the weekend

Tuesday: Baked Ham, Buttered WW Egg Noodles, and Asparagus

Wednesday: Turkey Tenderloins, Green Beans, Salad

Thursday: Scalloped Potatoes & Ham, Peas, WW Rolls

Friday: Quesadillas

Saturday: Dine out

Sunday: Leftovers and/or sandwiches

Around the World in 5K

I am going to do a 5k in a little over a month. Erin will be joining me once again. On November 18, 2007, we will be doing the Around the World in 5k. This year's Around the World in 5K is the 7th annual 5K run/walk through Wisconsin's State Fair Park. Portions of it will even be on the Milwaukee Mile. After the race we are invited to stay for the Holiday Folk Fair International -- FREE. There is a World Café at the fair with many foods made with cherished recipes that have been passed down through generations. I haven't been to the Folk Fair in years so I am really looking forward to this.

Running Right Along

Have you ever "accidentally" ran/walked 6.19 miles instead of 3.1? Well, I have...LOL!

My friend Erin & I decided we would go running down by the lake front for a change of scenery. Neither of us remembered to map a route along the trails to figure out how far we really needed to go. So we just thought of a spot and ran to it. Well, it turned out to be a LONG way. Needless to say, we weren't able to run much of the way back to the car, but we did run most of the way there.

ACK!

This is the second week in a row that I forgot to do a Thursday Thirteen! I will bring it back next week -- provided I remember...lol!

At Risk of Sounding Like Al Gore...

LOL!

I hate plastic bags! I mean I hate them with a passion not just because of how long they take to breakdown when the end up in landfills, but also for the way the multiply in my house. I read the the average family brings home 500 - 1,000 of these bags every year. I know most of mine end up in the trash which ends up in a landfill. Did you know those plastic bags do not biodegrade? They photodegrade which means they break down into tiny toxic pieces that can contaminate water & soil.

Given those reasons a couple weeks ago I decided I needed to find a new option. I ordered Envirosax. They are available to order individually or in a pouch. Ordering the pouch saves you a bit per bag plus gives you all the designs in the series you choose. The Envirosax roll up into an easy to keep with you size. When they are rolled up, they remind of me cute, little sleeping bags...lol!

They arrived yesterday, I used them today, and I LOVE them. Bye bye plastic bags!

Those compact fluorescent light bulbs are another story. I hate 'em, but I am giving one a chance! Just one though!

Fog, Fog, Fog and More Fog

It's that time of year in Southeastern Wisconsin -- Fog season! We have had pretty bad fog the last few days. This morning the visibility was down near zero. More is rolling in now, but the rain coming overnight will clear it out. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a sunny, beautiful autumn day.

Menu Plan Monday #1

Each day around lunch time I begin to think what in the world am I going to make for dinner. I have decided I NEED to plan my menu out at the beginning of each week. The plan is, of course, not set in stone, but it will allow me to have a plan to follow. It also allows me to make sure I have all the ingredients I need to prepare each meal in the house. Yes, even with my stockpile from playing the Grocery Game, I run out of things occasionally. Usually, it is a produce, dairy, or meat product, but I do run out.

In my travels around the blog world, I ran across Menu Plan Monday. If I make menu planning a little fun, maybe I will keep it up. I know I will find new recipes in the process, and that is always fun.

Here it goes...

October 1 - October 8, 2007

Monday: Quesadillas

Tuesday: Chicken Stir-Fry, WW Fettucini

Wednesday: Saucy Italian Pork Chops, Brown Rice

Thursday: Turkey Tenderloins, Green Beans, Salad

Friday: Baked Ham, Buttered WW Egg Noodles, and Asparagus

Saturday: Dine out

Sunday: Leftovers

Good Day for the Pack

The Green Bay Packers are 4-0, and Brett Favre broke Dan Marino's all-time touchdown record! Woohoo!

ALL-TIME TOUCHDOWN PASS LEADERS

PLAYERS	TEAM	TD PASSES
Brett Favre	Green Bay	422
Dan Marino	Miami	420
Fran Tarkenton	Minnesota NY Giants	342
John Elway	Denver	300
Warren Moon	Houston Minnesota Seattle Kansas City	291

Up next for the Pack: Da Bearz

Nonni's Biscotti & Susan G. Komen

Press release from Nonni's Biscotti's PR agency: Nonni’s Biscotti Partners With Celebrities to Raise Funds for Breast Cancer Research

More than 50 celebrities – comprised of movie and television personalities – autographed pink coffee mugs to support Komen for the Cure’s promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever. During the first week of October, in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the collector items will be listed in a charity auction on the eBay Giving Works site.

“Nonni’s Biscotti, as a brand, has always had a strong connection with women,” said Matt Duffy, marketing manager, Nonni’s Biscotti. “We formed a partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure because of the impact breast cancer has on so many women across the United States. We are proud to help raise funds for research, education, screening and treatment that will hopefully eliminate this disease one day. We hope this charity auction will not only help raise funds, but also increase awareness about breast cancer.”

Nearly 50 coffee mugs were autographed by many of today’s hottest celebrities during the Haven House Gifting Suite including: Sasha Cohen, Neve Campbell, James Woods, Lil’ Kim, Josh Henderson and Tyler Hilton.* One hundred percent of the final sale price of each mug will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. For a complete list of celebrities involved, go to www.nonnis.com.

“Susan G. Komen for the Cure is on a mission to end breast cancer forever,” said Cindy Schneible, vice president of resource development. “Partnerships like the one with Nonni’s Biscotti are an integral part of that mission, helping us reach millions of consumers with life-saving breast health messages and raising funds that support breast cancer research and community outreach programs.”

In addition to the charity auction, Nonni’s will offer biscotti in specially packaged pink ribbon breast cancer awareness boxes through December 31, 2007. The pink boxes of biscotti will be available at local grocery stores and wholesale clubs. Consumers are invited to visit Nonni’s Web site and support breast cancer research by entering in individual UPC codes from their purchased pink boxes of Nonni’s Biscotti. Susan G. Komen for the Cure will receive 75 cents for every unique UPC code entered on www.nonnis.com, with a minimum donation of $25,000, and maximum of $50,000. UPC codes can be entered until March 1, 2008.

Breast cancer continues to affect millions of women and their friends and families every year. In the 25 years since its inception, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has invested nearly $1 billion in research, education and health services. With the continued support of companies like The Nonni’s Food Company, Komen for the Cure will be able to achieve its vision of a world without breast cancer.

About Nonni’s Food Company
Founded in 1988, Nonni’s Food Company is also home to other premium quality brands including Nonni’s Biscotti, New York Style and Old London. The Nonni’s Biscotti brand uses the original family recipe including real eggs, butter and gourmet bittersweet chocolate that gives the biscotti a light, crunchy texture that is delicately sweet. The New York Style snack line includes Bagel Crisps and Pita Chips; wholesome snacks that capture the tastes found in traditional New York City’s bakeries. Old London serves up great snacks and light lunches with its core Melba toast products. More information can be found at http://www.nonnisfoods.com.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, we have invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-800 I’M AWARE.

*Celebrities featured are not paid spokespeople and are not directly endorsing Nonni's Biscotti.

The images in this entry are the coffee mugs signed by Matt Leinhert (top) and Andi McDowell. You can view the rest of the celebrity signed Nonni's Biscotti coffee mugs on the Nonni's website.

Project Runway Countdown Begins

I just read the "official" word that Project Runway's fourth season will begin on November 14. I am SO excited, and will be counting the days! :) Here are the names of the 15 designers who will be competing this season:

- Carmen, 37: Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina; Resides in New York
- Chris, 44: Hometown: San Francisco; Resides in New York
- Christian, 21: Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland; Resides in New York
- Elisa, 42: Hometown: El Paso, Texas; Resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Jack, 38: Hometown: Seattle; Resides in New York
- Jillian, 26: Hometown/Resides In: Long Island, New York
- Kevin, 30: Hometown: Fairfield, New Jersey; Resides in New York
- Kit, 26: Hometown/Resides in: Los Angeles
- Marion, 39: Hometown: Tyler, Texas; Resides in Dallas
- Rami, 31: Hometown: Ramallah, Jerusalem; Resides in Los Angeles
- Ricky, 35: Hometown: Escondido, California; Resides in New York
- Simone, 32: Hometown: San Francisco; Resides in Los Angeles
- Steven, 30: Hometown/Resides in: Chicago
- Sweet P, 46: Hometown: Los Angeles: Resides in Glendale, California
- Victorya, 34: Hometown: Winchester, Virginia; Resides in New York

Anyone else as excited about this as I am? Bring it on!

More Organizing

Today it was the "office supply" drawer & cabinet in the kitchen. We have WAY too many pens, pencils, paper clips, highlighters, post-it notes, etc. I got them under control today (for now). I swear that stuff multiplies in the darkness of drawers & cabinets. I am sending a box of stuff with Olivia to school. Her friends will love it -- much of it was never opened.

Home Sweet Home

Bob is home from Vegas. He got home about 7:00PM yesterday, and is a little tired today. He does have the rest of the week off, and I think he will need it to recoup from all those late nights (I should say early mornings...lol). He had a great time with the guys, and they are planning on doing it again next fall. :)

I need to start planning a women's weekend! Where should we go? :)

New Look

I spent a little time last night and this morning creating a new look for my blog. Yes, I am fickle when it comes to my blog colors and tire of looks quickly! I lost some features from my sidebars and need to tweak a couple things like font color and that dumb scroll bar at the bottom. However, it's pretty much the way it will look! I love it, but who knows how long it will last...lol!

Hooray for Dad

Olivia had the day off school so we headed over to visit my dad. He has lost about 30 pounds and looks slightly too thin, but he has his color back. He has moments of dizziness, but those are getting less frequent. He has his color back rather than that icky color he had in the hospital and for the last couple weeks. He has taken a turn in the right direction! Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, and support in those difficult days.

There are still some issues, but now add income & insurance to the mix. At the end of October, his short-term disability will run out along with insurance. Short of a miracle, there is no way he will be able to go back to work which means they will have no money coming in unless he qualifies for Social Security. He has a meeting with someone at the SSA next Monday! Please say a little prayer that it will all work out!

This is where I put in a plug for long-term disability insurance. Check your disability policies and make sure you have sufficient coverage!

Where is Autumn?

Today was the first full day of autumn, but you wouldn't know it if you were in Southeastern Wisconsin. The temps hit 90 today! Bring back my crisp, cool autumn weather -- PLEASE!

Fun Weekend!

Saturday morning Olivia & I dropped Bob off at the airport. He headed off to Las Vegas with three of our friends for a guys weekend. I have heard from him a few times & they are having a GREAT time.

Olivia & I hit the mall for some shopping fun and then a local restaurant for lunch. We had a great time, but she was anxious to get home and head over to a friend's house for a bonfire and some girlie fun!

That evening Erin & I went to The Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant) for a girls night out. It was so much fun & man was it a lot of food! It was SO good! I thought fondue went out of style in the 70s. Who knew it was still around and so good...lol!! If you ever have a chance to go to The Melting Pot, jump at the chance. Just be sure you have a lot of time as it isn't a fast meal by any means.

New Feature

I have added a new feature to my blog that will hopefully bring me more traffic. If you are looking for more/new blog visitors considering checking out BlogRush. It is, of course, free.

Now you are probably wondering why I would want more traffic! I am considering trying my hand at a new hobby & opening an etsy shop to sell my wares! It probably won't be for a month or so because I have a to-do list that needs to be a ta-da list before I start something else! I will post more details as time gets closer!

Thursday Thirteen #32

Thirteen Quotes/Poems about Autumn

Autumn (Fall) is my FAVORITE time of year. So today, in honor of the first day of Autumn on Saturday, I have decided to combine two of my favorite things in the world. The glorious season & quotes! :)

1. Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

2. For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. ~Edwin Way Teale

3. Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

4. It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life. ~P.D. James

5. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~ George Eliot

6. Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~ Stanley Horowitz

7. No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face.
~ John Donne

8. Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. ~Elizabeth Lawrence

9. falling leaves
hide the path
so quietly
~John Bailey, "Autumn," a haiku year, 2001, as posted on oldgreypoet.com

10. Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits. ~Samuel Butler

11. Besides the autumn poets sing,
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.
~Emily Dickinson

12. October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter. ~Nova Bair

13. Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Autumn is Coming

Even though our temps are WAY above normal for the this time of year I know the cooler weather is coming. We had a taste of it last week, but it warmed up into the upper 80s & low 90s the last two days.

Instead of being outside working on the yard like I should be, I spent the day organizing our linen closet. I love to clean and organize this time of year. We spend so much more time in the house and/or at home in the cooler months. I like starting that time out with things neatly in their places. It may sound crazy, but I find comfort in having the things around me organized.

The master bedroom closet is next on my to be organized list. That is going to be a chore because I need to get a lot of clothing out of there that we don't wear anymore. A trip to the Goodwill is in my future. I won't be working on that until later next month. ;)

A Home Sweet Home

May your walls know joy; may every room hold laughter and every window open to great possibility. ~ Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey

The Name Game

Martha at Elizabeth Hill Cottage tagged me with the Name Game...

The rules: List one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don't have a middle name, use one you would like to have. Tag one person for each letter of your middle name.

Here we go:

Spontaneous! While I like to be organized and have things around me uncluttered and neat. I don't like having a set schedule for each day. I love waking up each morning and just doing whatever I want. Thank goodness for Bob, the Planner! :)

Umbrella! I tend to to shield loved ones from hurtful things others say or do. I guess you could call that an umbrella. :)

Eclectic! My tastes are very eclectic. For my clothing, I love trendy, fun styles. For my home, I tend to stick to more of a classic, traditional style. I appreciate and like other styles, but am not comfortable with them around me.

Tags go out to Shelbi, Jenny, & Makita! (No pressure ladies! Only do it if you would like to!)

UGH!

Dad's back at the hospital tonight -- my step-mom took him to the ER about an hour ago. Apparently, for the last three days he has not be able to keep anything down. Every time he eats or drinks he vomits (TMI, I know!). Don't ask me why he waited THREE days before calling someone. (Although, this entry will remind you of his stubbornness.)

Part of me thinks he pushed to get home too soon. In the hospital he had to have therapy everyday. At home, he just sits in his chair. He is still very weak, sleeps a lot, has the abnormal heart rhythm...

I could go on, but I don't want to be a Debbie Downer on here. Please just say a little extra prayer for him tonight!

Alright, look at the date on the entry I linked too. How creepy is that?

Simply Vera

If you want anything from the Simply Vera line at Kohl's, I suggest you order from their website or RUN to the store right now! The line is going to be shown on Oprah tomorrow, and we all know what happens when Oprah likes something.

I checked it out today and love it! Some of it is a little dressy for my needs so I didn't pick anything up.

Thursday Thirteen #31

Thirteen Phobias

Earlier this week Bob & I won a trivia contest at a local pub & grille we visit regularly. The topic was phobias! We answered 9 out of 10 correctly! To celebrate that little victory, I have decided to list 13 phobias beginning with the letter B. (I guess I chose B for Bob...LOL!)

1. Bibliophobia is the fear of books.

2. Bacillophobia is the fear of microbes.

3. Botanophobia is the fear of plants.

4. Batophobia is the fear of heights.

5. Bogyphobia is the fear of the Boogie Man.

6. Blennophobia is the fear of slime.

7. Belonephobia is the fear of pins and needles.

8. Basiphobia is the fear of walking and falling.

9. Bathophobia is the fear of depth.

10. Batrachophobia is the fear of toads and frogs.

11. Bromidrophobia is the fear of body smells.

12. Batrachophobia is the fear of amphibians.

13. Brontophobia is the fear of thunder and lightning.

Do you have any phobias? (They don't have to start with B.)

This info comes from funtrivia.com.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

I Heart Dancing Hannah!

Isn't this lovely? I recently purchased this necklace from Shelbi of Dancing Hannah & Keeper of the Chocolates fame! It arrived QUICKLY in beautiful packaging along with a sweet note of thanks! The piece is more wonderful in person!

If you like unique, one-of-a-kind pieces, stop by Dancing Hannah. You will not be disappointed. While you are there, make sure you notice the amazing shots Shelbi takes to show off the details of her beautiful creations. Just keep your hands off the pieces I have my eye on...lol!! :)

Six Years

NEVER FORGET!

It Works for Us

A few months ago we decided it was time for Olivia to have more responsibility when it comes to chores around the house. At 14, she is old enough that I shouldn't have to do it all. I wanted to come up with a list. Not necessarily just for Olivia's chores, but some sort of checklist that either one of us could follow. That was when I decided to give motivatedmoms.com a try. Yes, I paid for their printable chore planner. It was $8, but it is some of the best money I have ever spent. (If you want to give it a try, it's only $4 now!)

I changed the format and adapted the list for our family/home. Guess what -- it works! Olivia did the some of the chores on the list, and there was very little reminding that she needed to work on a few things on the list through out the day.

I am a big fan of to do lists and love seeing things crossed off so we will continue to use it during the school year. However, Olivia isn't expected to complete as many of those things during the week.

Simple Solution

The doors on our kitchen cabinets have been driving me crazy for some time now! The little foam bumper pads the previous owners had put on to replace the nice ones that should be there were worn out. They were so worn that the adhesive was coming through the foam and causing a few cabinet doors to stick. At times they seems to be glued shut! Thursday morning, I ran to our local Menard's to pick up some better quality bumpers. They are on the doors & no more sticking!

Biking, Running

I was able to get back to exercise a little bit this week. I got in two bike rides and one run.

WEEK OF SEPT 3

SWIM	BIKE	RUN/WALK*
0.0 miles	13.0 miles	3.25 miles
0hr 00min	0hr 55min	00hr 40min

The bike rides were fine even though this was only the second time I was on my bike since the triathlon.

The run today was another story! I met my friend, Erin, at a nearby trail for a morning run. It was hot, humid & raining lightly. We decided to run anyway because neither of us have had much time to workout lately and really need to get back into the groove. It kicked us both in the rear end. We weren't able to run the entire 3.25 mile trail, but did run the majority of it. We are going to meet every Friday morning for a run as long as the weather holds. I am sure we will get our ability to run that trail back in no time if we keep it up.

Thursday Thirteen #30

Thirteen Things Moved to the Back Burner
(while Dad was in the hospital)

1. Home cooked meals (I am getting back on track with that, and it feels good to being eating at home as a family instead of on the run.)

2. Eating right (Well, not completely, but I made some pretty poor choices on a few days.)

3. Working out (I got back to it this week! It felt good!)

4. Doing laundry (I did eight loads on Monday/Tuesday! I would do a quick load here and there, but most of it just sat for most of August.)

5. Cleaning the house (We just did the basics and Olivia helped out so much.)

6. Filing bills (They got paid, but never made their way into the file cabinet.)

7. Shredding junk mail and other misc. papers (This pile must be about two feet high.)

8. Grocery shopping (Thank God for my Grocery Game stockpile.)

9. Back-to-school shopping (Thank you mom for taking Olivia out for new school clothes. Even though it's been in the 90s the first few days she has been wearing all the new stuff you got her.)

10. Sleep (Don't think I will ever get that back. :))

11. Blogging (I am excited to get back to reading what has been going on in all my blogging buddies lives and to get back to writing about mine.)

12. Redecorating the bathroom (The wallpaper is only partially taken down from our bathroom walls. I will get back to this next week. I have all the stuff to begin painting and am anxious to get at it.)

13. Yard work (I have some tree/shrub trimming to do before the painter we hired comes to paint the fence & trim. He was supposed to be here late Aug/early Sept, but the rain we had a while back put him behind about 10 days. I am sure we will be hearing from him again soon.)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

First Day

It seems like just yesterday we were sending Olivia off to Kindergarten! Today was her first day of HIGH school! Sigh, my little girl is growing up!!

A Time to Celebrate...

Dad went home Friday afternoon. His recovery isn't over, but being at home is good medicine!

This afternoon my brothers & I along with our families are invited over for a cookout! I can't wait to see Dad sitting in his chair in his house! :)

One Month

Today is one month since my dad's heart attack/surgery. He is still in the hospital. He is doing well with physical therapy, but his heart is back into the atrial fib/flutter. His heart rate is at about 113 today. From a therapy stand point he is ready to move on, but from a cardiac stand point he is not. We found out this week he has congestive heart failure. I have had experience with CHF in our family before. My grandfather (mom's dad) had it and lived with it for many years. It just does horrible things to your body & requires a major lifestyle change that I don't know my dad is ready to face.

Being in the hospital so long is getting him kind of down. His mood today is pretty good. Please pray that he keeps a good attitude toward his recovery and that the CHF is a mild and controllable.

Dad's New "Address"

I know some of you are looking for updates on dad so here's a good one...

His "address" has changed! He is now at the new hospital for the inpatient rehabilitation. As he was getting settled into his new room, a nurse wrote his therapy schedule for tomorrow on the dry erase board in the room. Boy, are they going to have him busy from just after 8 AM until nearly 4 PM. He will have occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy several times a day.

He may be there about two weeks, but of course it could end up being a shorter or longer stay depending on how he does. Most likely after the inpatient PT, he will have some outpatient therapy. Then it will be on to the cardiac therapy.

I was so happy to see him in his own clothing when I got to the hospital this morning. Seeing him get into the passenger seat of his car was an even better sight. I can't wait until the day we get to take him back to his home. Today was a HUGE step in that direction!

Happy Birthday Dad!

It's number 61! :) Shh...don't tell him I told you...lol!

We love you and can't wait until you are home!

Dad News

I think Dad is finally on the upswing and not taking those steps backwards. He will need to go to an inpatient physical therapy program. It is at a different hospital that is a bit of a trek from all our houses. He will be moved either tomorrow or Wednesday. The hold up is he has developed an atrial flutter. Right now we are all hoping it will go into a regular rhythm on it's own today. If not, tomorrow he will have a procedure to try to get it there.

Dad's still walking with the walker, but getting so much stronger. The feeding tube was taken out Saturday morning. He is showering and eating on his own. All big steps in the right direction!

Pottery - Willow - Leather - Poppy

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. ~ Saint Exupery

I love you, Bob!!
Happy Ninth Anniversary!

One Big Step

Dad continues to take small steps in the right direction, but on Saturday morning he took what I would call a big step. The breathing tube was removed! Thank the Lord!

He is extremely weak from being sedated and on the ventilator for 12 days. He is still fighting an infection of some sort even though all cultures continue to be negative.

It is so good to hear him joke, tell the same story for the hundredth time, and say his signature filler phrase of "ya know"!

He still has a long way to go before we can stop praying for his complete recovery, but the prayers are certainly working! I thank you all for your support, thoughts, and prayers.

Baby Steps

Things are still going REALLY slow. Dad is still sedated & on the ventilator. He developed abdominal bleeding and spiked a 103.5 temp Monday morning. All cultures have come back negative to this point. A full body CT was done, and it did show a little something in the stomach, but it was caught early and is being treated conservatively. It is possible it was caused by tube feeding. The bleeding slowed considerably by Monday evening and has now stopped. He continues to battle the fever. It goes up & down, but just won't go away.

Today the respiratory therapist did some breathing tests today to see if Dad is ready to be weaned from the ventilator. At this point he is only handling 25-30 minutes before he is taking too many breaths per minute. There is a very real possibility he will be having a tracheostomy. I know this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I would much rather have him off the ventilator.

I have been at the hospital nearly all day every day since after my dad went into surgery last Monday. Today was the first time I have left and not returned for an evening visit. While Dad is constantly on my mind, it feels good to be at home and not sitting at the hospital. I am so tired that I think I might be in bed by 8:00 tonight.

I thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers!

Dad

It has definitely been a roller coaster week!

This is going to be a long haul. My dad is (better become was) a smoker. The heart attack he had on Monday was major. The artery that was supplying blood to 80% of his heart was completely blocked. While having a cath they dissected the wall of the artery causing major bleeding. Even a slightly larger tear in the wall and he would have bled to death. There weren't any surgeons available to perform my dad's surgery until they pulled one out of a non-emergency surgery FOUR hours after he got out of the cath lab. That whole time he was still having a heart attack. As you probably know, surgery after being pumped full of blood thinners is risky, but it was necessary to repair the damage from the cath and to do a double bypass.

Tuesday brought a lot of bleeding. It was expected because of the circumstances. Before we left that night he was doing SO well that his doctors and nurses were pretty confident they would be able to take out the ventilator the next day.

About 1:00 Wednesday morning he took a turn for the worse. His blood was not oxygenating like it should, weight was up 34 lbs from pre-surgery weight and lungs were filled with fluid. He was given a paralytic, sedated even even further, and all breathing was done by the ventilator. It was thought he may have developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). (I know enough of what it is now, but haven't googled it because I don't want to read horror stories). My SIL's (a cardiac ICU nurse) reaction when she heard those words was enough for me. It is treatable, but can be fatal. It was the last thing she wanted to hear mentioned.

Yesterday was a better day. Dad was taken off the paralytic, but is still sedated and on the ventilator. He is doing a little over 50% of his breathing. His oxygenation numbers were good, but it still isn't clear if he has ARDS. One of the chest drainage tubes were removed. There were small steps in the right direction yesterday. He isn't completely out of the woods yet, but at least we're going in the right direction.

Please continue to keep our family, especially Dad, in your thoughts and prayers.

Update on Dad

The procedure my dad had this morning was to see if angioplasty would take care of a blockage in the Circumflex artery (think that was the name my brother said the doctor used). While trying to clear the blockage they broke through the wall. It as too risky to try again so he needs bypass. It will be 2-4 depending on what they find once they open him up.

He went into surgery around 3:00 PM central. It is expected to last 3-4 hours. Bob is on his way home from work, and we will head to the hospital shortly after he gets home.

Thoughts & Prayers Please

I got a call this morning that my dad had a heart attack while he was at work. He is going into surgery now. I will update you guys as soon as I know anything further. Thank you for your thoughts & prayers!

The Gun Show

As some of you know, Bob loves The Office -- especially Dwight K. Schrute! While shopping at Kohl's I found this shirt & could not pass it up!

Week of July 23 Training Totals

WEEK OF JULY 23

SWIM	BIKE	RUN/WALK*
0.5 miles	6.5 miles	6.5 miles
0hr 30min	0hr 25min	1hr 13min

It's not a lot, but at least I'm moving! I can tell the Couch to 5k is working. I feel better about my running after just six training runs.

Thursday Thirteen #29

I have been spending a lot of time this week removing wallpaper from the walls in our full bath. This is going to be a temporary fix until we put in tile, a new vanity, and counter. I hate the color of the counter in there, but need the paint color to work with it. I was thinking of going with an apricotish (Is that even a word? LOL!) color, but have changed my mind and will now go with some shade of lilac or lavender.

Since I changed my mind on the color, it means we will have to get a new shower curtain, valance, towels, and other accessories. When we do replace the items I mentioned earlier we are going with neutral colors so it will all still be usable.

Here are some of the things I have run across that I may pick up to use in our "new" bathroom.

Thirteen Bathroom Redecorating Possibilities

1. Shower Curtain (target.com)

2. Shower Curtain Rings (target.com)

3. Wastebasket (target.com)

4. Soap Pump (target.com)

5. Covered Jar (target.com)

6. Tumbler (target.com)

7. White Hand Towels (target.com)

8. Lavender Hand Towels (jcpenney.com)

9. Lavender Bath Rugs (target.com)

10. Light Fixture (homedepot.com)

11. Towel Hook (homedepot.com)

12. Towel Bar (homedepot.com)

13. Prints that were Bob's Grandma's
(On the floor in front of the window in the shot below.)

Whew! Finding, saving, and uploading all those pictures is a lot of work! I am heading back to the paper peeling now!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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A New Packer Charity Cap

From packers.com: The Green Bay Packers and American Family Insurance Monday announced the details of this year's charity cap campaign, an effort to raise money to support service men and women, veterans and their families.

This is the third such campaign for the two organizations. The previous two, pink and red caps, raised a total of nearly $1.5 million for Wisconsin charities fighting breast cancer and heart disease.

Through sales of the new, stone-washed black cap with the Packers' 'G' on the front, the American Family Insurance logo and a red, white and blue remembrance ribbon on the side, the two organizations will raise money for Wisconsin groups that support the people who currently serve or have served our county, and their families.

Funds raised will go to organizations focusing on health care needs, and family support and assistance. Specific charities or organizations will be selected this fall.

I've placed my order for one! Shhh, this one is for Bob! :)

Hooray for Erin

Congratulations to Erin on being accepted to law school! Way to go, girl! I knew you would do it! I am proud of you!

Will Bonds Make History in Milwaukee?

The buzz is in the air this weekend in Milwaukee. Barry Bonds & the San Francisco Giants are in town to play the Brewers this weekend. Barry is now 2 home runs away from Hank Aaron's home run record. If he hits one tonight, I don't think he will play again until the Giants are back home, but how crazy would it be if he tied Aaron's record in the town Aaron hit many of his home runs?

We will be at the game on Sunday. Word around town is that when Barry is up to bat instead of the boos he gets in other cities, he will instead be hearing chants of Hank, Hank, Hank! :)

Weekly Training Totals

I want to track my training time here and will try to remember to post my training totals each Friday. I will probably need a reminder note on the computer...lol!

WEEK OF JULY 16

SWIM	BIKE	RUN/WALK*
0.5 miles	0.0 miles	7.3 miles
0hr 30min	0hr 00min	1hr 30min

At the end of a month I will do monthly totals. This time will not include my strength training workouts for now.

*I edited the headings in the table because I inadvertently left out the walking included in the couch to 5K program. It is run training, but I don't run the full time -- yet. :)

Thursday Thirteen #28

Thirteen Childhood Memories!

1. Hearing my dad say, "See you at cookie time". My parents would come into our rooms to tuck us in, say our bedtime prayer, and say good night. As my dad closed the door, he dad would say to me "See you at cookie time". Cookie time was actually his breakfast. He would have two cookies with is cup of coffee. His "breakfast" cookies were always Nabisco Sugar Wafers.

2. Taking the last sip of coffee from dad's coffee cup after he was gone to work.

3. Going to the drive-in theater in pjs to see Benji, Lassie, Lady & the Tramp, etc with my family.

4. Sneaking change from my parents coin jar, riding my bike with my brother to the Penny Candy store, giving the owner our money and filling a bag with candy as she tells us how much we have left to spend. My favorites were the wax bottles, candy cigarettes, and candy buttons.

5. Cutting cattails from the ditch and setting up a stand to try to sell them. Five cents for a plain one ten cents with a cute curly ribbon attached. We didn't care there were thousands of cattails the people driving by could cut themselves for FREE...lol! By the way, we never sold one!

6. Swimming for hours with my brothers in our pool. My brother, Josh, would be full of goosebumps, shivering and have purple lips, but would insist he wasn't cold. LOL! He was probably 4 or 5 at the time and just wanted to be by his big brother & sister.

7. Spending the night in the "chicken coop". As I said before, I grew up in a 100+ year old farm house. It was not a working farm, but had all the buildings of one. In it's previous life our playhouse was a chicken coop. There were quite a few hot summer nights my brothers, step-sister & I would spend the night out there. I think Josh usually got spooked and had to go in the house...lol!

8. Ice skating with my brother on the frozen "ponds" and ditches all around us with my brother. There were times we could skate in the ditch for a mile! Of course, there were also the times the ice on the ditch cracked and we got soakers...lol!

9. Riding bikes up and down the LONG driveway for hours. Sometimes my brother & I would play "ET". That is where we took turns giving each other rides on the handle bars. Should I mention the time we fell and laughed so hard my step-sister & I wet our pants? LOL!

10. Playing games! Kickball and baseball on our little front yard diamond. Football in about only area in the front yard clear of trees. Dodge ball with the rotten apples that had fallen off the tree. (Mom didn't like that game...lol!)

11. Snowmobiling in our yard and the fields around us. My parents let us drive the snowmobiles by ourselves when I was 8 and my brother 6. (I can't imagine letting Olivia drive a snowmobile at six -- YIKES!!) One time my brother went up a steep snowbank and dumped me off the back of the snowmobile. I have a sneaking suspicion he did it intentionally.

12. Sledding down the hill in front of the house on those roll up sleds that wouldn't stay under you and the metal saucer thing. I think it was called the Super Saucer or something like that.

13. Going up to Eagle River, WI to spend time with our grandparents. This one sparks a whole new TT list of memories. What good times we had up there!!

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Passing Time

Can you think of a better way to pass time when waiting for the someone to come repair a dryer than peeling wallpaper? I couldn't...lol!

The "demolition" of the full bath has begun. Instead of the complete redo we were talking about over the winter, we decided to just paint for now. It needs it BAD! Since the kitchen is a more public room than our full bath, we decided we'll do the big budget redo there first. We are going to have the cabinets refaced and replace the counters. The kitchen probably won't happen until sometime next spring.

By the way, the dryer is all better. A couple of thermal sensors needed to be replaced. It's working like a charm once again.

Another Repair -- UGH!

Barely a month ago we had to call out a plumber to repair the flange on the toilet in the full bath. Now, we have to have an appliance guy out for the dryer. It just stopped heating. Anyone know how long it takes to tumble a load of towels dry without any heat? LOL!! It's probably the heating coil thing a ma bob, but I am not comfortable with adding gas appliance repair to my resumé.

This is when Bob says the house is falling down around us we should just sell it. It's really not, but doesn't it seem like everything happens at once? "They" say things happen in threes, but I am hoping "they" are wrong. ;)

Training for the Future

I found this Couch-to-5K program few years ago, but had forgotten about it when I began training for my triathlon. By the time I stumbled upon it again, I thought it was too late to change up what I was already doing.

Next year I want to be able to run the entire 3.1 miles, and this afternoon I took the first steps to assure that happens.

It's Up!

Scroll down to July 7th & July 8th entries to read about my first triathlon experience. If I could sign up today for next year, I would do it without hesitation! I have already set new goals and will begin to work on those next week. :)

Also Up

Triathlon Pictures! You can see the shots Bob & Olivia were able to get at flickr.com.

I should have a few more to post, but I don't know when I will have access to those. Danskin had photographers every step of the way. I am waiting to hear word those pictures are ready. My fingers are crossed they had a photographer at the finish line. Bob & Olivia were there, but didn't see me.

Thursday Thirteen

I am skipping the TT this week, but do not fear it will return next Thursday!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Tomorrow, I Promise!

Bob took a few days vacation this week. We have just been enjoying time together. I have my story ready to go. I will type it up and post tomorrow. In the meantime, here is a story to inspire...

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/432483,181NWS4.article

Amazing, isn't it?

Tri THANK YOU!

The Danskin Triathlon was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I need sometime let everything soak in and write about the weekend. I want to express the emotion I felt during the event for all of you who supported me. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for that support. I could not have done this without you.

I Am a Triathlete

I was up just before 3:00 AM, and we were on the road by 4:20 AM. We had to catch a shuttle from Dairyland Greyhound Park to the race site. Parking and catching the shuttle were a piece of cake. (Erin was not so lucky! She left her house about an hour after we left ours. Arrived to near Dairyland at about 6:00 AM and waited in traffic for over an hour.)

Bob & Olivia were with me. I sat with them for a few minutes before I went to set up my transition area. Unfortunately, I made a rookie mistake when I racked my bike yesterday. I left too much space between my bike and the one on the end. My bike was "bumped" from the second to the third spot on the rack. Still easy to find.

I joined Bob & Olivia again for a little while. We were watching for Erin not knowing how she was stuck in the horrible traffic. The start of the race was actually delayed because of the traffic. They also allowed anyone who missed their swim wave to join one when they were ready.

At about 7AM I began walking over to the swim start area. A slow take in all the sights & sounds walk. As I walked along the run path, I wondered about the stories of these women. About half way along the path, I came across a woman who had just finished chemo treatments. Her complexion was beautiful & flawless. I will carry the image of her in my mind always. As I passed her, the emotion of the day began to hit me. A tear trickled down my cheek. As competitors continued to walk a man began to speak about Danskin Triathlon traditions and other things that would happen today. A beautiful instrumental played for a few minutes before the National Anthem. The woman who sang it had a beautiful voice. The emotion of the day hit me again at that point and a few more tears flowed.

It was now time for the triathlon to get underway. The first wave, The Elite, are brought down into the water. They have a few minutes with Sally Edwards, National Spokeswoman for the Danskin Women's Triathlon Series. The Danskin traditional countdown began. 10 9 8... and the first wave was off! The event I have worked so hard to prepare for is here.

The second wave, Survivors, is brought to the water. Just about 30 seconds until they are on their way. The following waves go every 4 minutes!

I finally spot Erin in the crowd. She didn't get to see the start of the event because of the traffic at the shuttle pick up site. While I missed her & am sad she missed the start of the event, I was (am) thankful I had that alone time to experience the sights, sounds, and emotions of the day.

Erin & I talked for a few minutes before I headed over to the swim start to join my fellow yellow capped, 35-39 year olds. We visited with one another. Talked about race numbers, triathlon training, our strengths/weaknesses, and triathlon experience. There was only one other woman near me who was a first timer. The veterans encouraged us! Suddenly, the crowd behind us and to the right began to roar. The first runner was coming by. She completed the .5 mile swim, the 12 mile bike, and part of the 3 mile run before we were even hitting the water. I would estimate she did that in less than 45 minutes.

As our group was "on deck" for the swim Disco Inferno by The Trammps played. We all sang and danced to keep loose and get pepped up. The 15th wave was off and that means we are next. Looking around I see a few women who look a little nervous about the swim. The group I was talking to all looked pretty confident. We are in the front line of the wave. I was front & center! :) One of the Danskin Angels, the swim volunteers, leads us in some cheering. Asks us a few questions about who we are going to pass first (pink caps -- wave 15), and who we aren't going to let pass (green caps -- wave 17). She then gave us a word to remember as we go through the day - FANTASTIC! We are to use that word to remind us we are fantastic swimmers, fantastic bikers, fantastic runners, and fantastic triathletes. The countdown begins 10 9 8... and we were off. It felt really great, but the sun glared made sighting something on shore very difficult. Twice I swam outside the buoys and had to swim back to the right. I still felt like I was making really good time. I could see myself passing pink caps and only saw one green cap pass me. Bob said in my wave there were only about six women out of the water before me.

Swim Time 00:16:28
Rank 1065/3919

I ran to my bike. T1 went quickly and pretty well. I know I can shave more time off of it for next year.

T1 Time 00:03:11

The bike was tough. A lot tougher than I had anticipated due to the high winds, the heat, and the HILLS! I also need to look into getting a road bike for these events. The wide mountain bike tires are killers on a road in a race.

Bike Time 00:57:07
Rank 3051/3919 (UGH -- definitely needs work)

I hopped off the bike at the dismount point and my legs felt like Jell-O -- not the bricks I was expecting. Ah, a watering station. I wove my way between the racks to my area. I racked my bike and I was off.

T2 Time 00:02:04

Ah, another splash of water before I ran. My legs didn't feel too bad at all when I began the run. I think to myself I might be able to run the whole thing. I guess I though that too soon because shortly I felt my heart rate soar. I slowed to a slow jog. A lady points out that I had forgotten to take off my helmet after the bike. Oh, crap (excuse my french...lol)! I take it off and try to figure out what I am going to do with it. I thought about throwing it down in the grass, but eventually I looped the strap onto my tank top. Looking back, I should have thrown it down. Bob saw me running with the helmet and when I took it off. He was trying to run after me to get it. He said it was pretty sad he couldn't catch me even after I had just finished the swim & the bike when he had done nothing but walk...lol.

The heat during the first half of the run was brutal. I did a little running and walking. I wanted to be able to RUN across that finish line and wanted to conserve that energy so I could. The watering station at about half way was a welcome sight. As was the Jelly Belly Sports Beans station, but neither of those were as good as the hose the firefighters had to spray us. I drank the water, ate half a package of the sports beans, and enjoyed the water from the hose. The course continued on about a quarter mile before we got to turn around and enjoy those three stations again. At the half mile left mark we got the biggest boost any triathlete could hope for -- an open fire hydrant! More pressure than that hose and just what I needed to refresh me for the home stretch. I ran the entire last mile and it was so exciting to see the word FINISH up ahead. Sally Edwards was there cheering us on, and as we crossed the finish line our names were announced and we were given a medal!

Run Time 00:43:40
Rank 3076/3919

Total Time 02:02:33
Overall Rank 2636/3919
Class Rank (35-39) 460/578

I did it! I am a triathlete!

Danskin Triathlon Expo

Erin & I arrived near the race venue at 10:00 AM. Right on time. The line of traffic waiting to enter the lot was backed up at least a mile. We sat & waited about 30 minutes before we were able to get into the lot & park.

We entered the Lakeview RecPlex at about 10:35 AM. The room was full of the buzz of excitement & anticipation of tomorrow's event.

Erin & I split up to make picking up race materials go more quickly. Turned out to be a great plan. Our lines were about the same length, and we finished at about the same time. When picking up our materials we found out our swim waves. I was wave #16 - Yellow & Erin was #28 - Purple. (The colors are the color of cap our wave wore.) We then had our timing chips scanned to verify all the information linked to them was correct.

Then we were off to pick up our shirts, swim caps, and great bag from Danskin. There were goodies all around from race sponsors. The best by far had to be the folding tool from the great people at Trek.

Neither of us thought the first timer's overview would help us with anything we could change the day before the race so we skipped it. There was still a lot of time until the next course overview so we decided to skip it too. I don't think we would have been any better prepared had we seen either one of those. We knew the course, we swam in that lake before, and were as pepped as we were going to be at that point in time.

We went back to the car to get out bikes for racking. The line for racking had to be about a mile long when we got back from the car. Fortunately, a volunteer opened another gate for racking & we weren't too far from it. We split up again to rack and met back at the gate. I got a great spot. My rack was about half way between the swim finish & the run start. I was lucky to be able to get a spot near the end of the rack. Erin got a great spot too, but she was closer to the bike start/finish than I was. At this point we were both hating the heat and were a little worried about how it would affect us tomorrow.

A quick stop at The Brat Stop for lunch, and then we headed home. I relaxed most of the afternoon & evening. I planned on heading to bed early, but wasn't that tired. I didn't want to lie in bed awake thinking about how I should be sleeping so I stayed up until about 10:30.

OH NO!

As you all know, the triathlon is Sunday! Look at the forecast -- 96 degrees with a "real feel" of 99 -- UGH! Hopefully, it will stay mostly cloudy. I hate to think of what that temp would say if it was supposed to be a clear day.

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

I will be drinking LOTS of fluids! Hopefully, not much of the fluid will be Lake Andrea water...LOL!

What a Sight

Several nights last week brought us beautiful sunsets! I took some shots on a couple of those nights and have loaded them to my flickr account! Enjoy!

Thursday Thirteen #27

Happy 100th week to the Thursday Thirteen! To help celebrate the gang at TT asked us to...

…write about your thirteen favorite Thursday Thirteen posts. You can write about thirteen of your own T13 posts, or you can write about the T13 posts of others that you’ve enjoyed. Be sure to link to each of the 13 posts you highlight so we can all check them out easily.

I have decided to respectfully decline rebel. There are SO many great TTs I have run across since I stumbled upon the TT meme. It would be a lot of work to go back and find all those that I enjoyed. (I will give you my three favorite 'teeners: This Eclectic Life, J's Thoughts & Musings, and Life is RANTastic! Actually, I enjoy reading their blogs daily!)


Instead I am reviving my 22nd TT to make sure I have everything I need for my triathlon. Yes, time is ticking. I can't believe it is Sunday!

Thirteen Things I Need to Bring on Triathlon Day!

1. Timing chip and strap (given with race materials during pick up Saturday morning)

2. Swim cap with race numbers (given with race materials)

3. Clear goggles & tinted goggles (CHECK!)

4. Towels (small to stage transition area, medium to dry feet before putting on shoes.) (CHECK! CHECK!)

5. Bike helmet with race number affixed to front (CHECK! given with race materials)

6. Fix-a-flat kit & bike pump (CHECK! CHECK!)

7. Running shoes/socks (CHECK! CHECK!)

8. Shirt I plan to wear during the run with race numbers pinned to it. (given with race materials)

9. Sunglasses (CHECK!)

10. Food/snacks to eat during and/or after race (CHECK! CHECK!)

11. Bottled water/fluid replacement drink on full bottle in cage on bike to drink during the bike leg. Additional fluids to enjoy after the race. (CHECK! CHECK!)

12. Sunscreen, chapstick, Body Glide, & pain meds (CHECK! CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!)

13. Cell phone (CHECK!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Happy Independence Day

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

This image is from a few months ago. There was a storm approaching, and I loved the way our flag was waving in the high winds. I snapped about 25 shots of it before I took it down. The rain hit just a few minutes after I got this shot.

Matthew Mead Style

Oh man, I think I am in love! Check out the eye candy at matthewmeadstyle.

Check out those bowls. (Yes you, C!)

I Surrender

We have had painting the exterior trim, garage door, and fence on our to do list for about 2 years now. It took me all last summer to get the outside of the fence & the arbor painted. The inside still needs painting. We finally gave in and decided to hire someone. Two companies are coming out for estimates tomorrow, and I am waiting for return calls from two others.

I love to do those types of projects, but the weather never seems to cooperate when I have time to work on those jobs.