Lake Tahoe: Day One...

Ken and I just returned from a fabulous week long vacation in South Lake Tahoe, CA.  We had a great time just relaxing, hiking, and playing golf.  We joked that this was the first vacation since July 2010 that we were not hiking up a 14,000 foot mountain, hiking through the Grand Canyon, running a marathon, or participating in an Ironman.  You mean, you can go on vacation without some endurance event?

We flew into Reno and rented a car to make the hour drive to South Lake.

We made it and Ken is behind the wheel

Our first view of the lake.  You come around a curve and bam, there is the lake.  It was so beautiful!

After we got settled in at the hotel, we walked around and shopped for a bit and then stopped for lunch at Blue Dog Pizza.  It ended up being one of our best meals of the week.

Happy at Happy Hour.  In case you had not guessed, only one of these drinks is actually mine.  Who do the other two belong to?  Judging by the next picture...

I would say the other two drinks are Ken's.  Ken really enjoyed Happy Hour at our hotel.

The end of a long, but very fun day.

Happy Fall!

My friend Heather sent this to me the other day.

Words to live by

I am pretty sure that this ecard sums up my life.  And for anyone that is counting, I have been burning Fall candles since the middle of August.  Oh and that is also when I decorated for Fall with all my pumpkins.  I was too excited to wait any longer. 

Oh and speaking of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I received the below comment from Emily earlier this week. 

"So I had never heard of the pumpkin spice latte before your post.  (Yes apparently I live in a deep dark cave away from society.)  In the two weeks since, I have made up for my previous ignorance and had no less than FIVE.  Thank you for the introduction!  I am OBSESSED.  :)"

To say that that this made my day is an understandment.  I mean, I have converted someone to a Pumpkin Spice Latte maniac.  I can hear the angels singing right now.  Carry on.

Hooligans...

Who can resist a photo of these sweet girls?

Kya and Angel

I caught them hanging out together and could not resist taking a picture. 

Theodore is not quite sure of his sisters' shenanigans.

Hitting the Pool...

I finally decided that it was time to drag myself back to the pool.  I was so used to swimming for an hour or longer that the thought of swimming for *only* 30 minutes seemed like a waste of time.  Well guess what, I decided that 30-40 minutes is the perfect amount of swimming time.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am sure I will still throw in an hour of swimming here and there, but Monday night was not that night.

I did carry my Ironman Louisville backpack and use my swim cap from the race.  The best part about this swim cap is, you cannot really mess up and wear it backwards.

 I do not really care that the backpack is way too big for someone that is 4'10, I will carry it everywhere. 

Mizzou vs. Georgia...

With Mizzou making their debut into the SEC, we decided to head to one of our favorite local bars to watch the game.  It was also my friend Jill's birthday, which makes her wife of the year for giving up a nice dinner on the plaza.

A few minutes into the game, it was safe to say us three girls had lost all interest.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

The boys were having fun, well, until the game went South that is.

Rob, Ken, and Brian

Jill, Michelle, and me

Us girls had so much fun laughing and making fun of the intense fans that were around.  I am sure that this was just the first of many outings to Coach's to watch the Tigers.  

What is Next?

My life has been filled with questions like, "What is next?" or "How do you top an ironman?" or "Will you do it again?"  And you know what, I have no idea.  Normally I have something planned to do next, but at this time, I have no clue. 

I decided to do Ironman Louisville in December last year when Ken and I are were in between homes.  We were living in an apartment that we hated after we had just turned our lives upside down (it was all our choice, please know that!) and I thought it was the perfect time for me to focus on something that was a dream of mine.  Yes, we only lived in the apartment for one more month after I signed up for the race, but what can you do.  The only person besides Ken that knew I wanted to do an ironman was my friend Michelle.  I still think she was a little shocked when I actually pulled the trigger.  :)

So here I am, the first time since 2006 that I do not have some marathon or something planned.  I am not so sure that I like it either.  I mean, sure the freedom is nice, but I like having a goal to look forward to. 

I would love to run the Leadville 100, but I am not sure that I am ready to tackle 100 miles on foot.  I know, you are probably thinking that I signed up for an ironman without ever doing a triathlon before, but I think having never run more than 26.2 miles and trying to run 100 miles in the rockies is a little crazy.  So yes, that seems right up my alley. 

Will I do another ironman?  I do not know.  I had a fabulous experience in Louisville and I am not sure that anything will ever top that.  I also do not know if I will feel the same way about the race since my first ironman is out of the way.  I mean, I smiled the entire time and kept a great attitude.  Would I be able to do that again?  Of course there is this voice in my head that is screaming that I can beat the time I had in Louisville.  I have been shutting her up with Pumpkin Spice Lattes and brownies.  :)

Right now the only thing on my agenda is Lake Tahoe in a few weeks with my super supportive husband and then Cancun in November. 

Oh, but don't worry, I am almost sure that I will have my next endurance event lined up before the month is over.  I mean I work in an office for heaven's sake, I have time to stalk race websites.  And internet shop.  I swear I spend more money during my slow season at work, all thanks to the internet and free shipping offers. 

Happy Friday and Happy Birthday Jill!

Pumpkin Spice Date...

Ken and I have been together for eight years.  For at least seven of those eight years, he has heard me talk nonstop about Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  I literally start a count down as to when they will be appearing in my local Starbucks.  I mean, a girl has got to have priorities.  So imagine my surprise when he took me to Starbucks last night and guess what he ordered?  That's right ladies and gentleman, after hearing me talk about these fabulous, wonderful lattes for so long, he finally decided to get one for himself.  And, I am pretty sure this will not be his last.



Pumpkin Spice Love

Ironman Aftermath...

I woke up on Monday feeling pretty well.  I was a little sore, but nothing that I could not handle.  We packed up the car and went to the Ironman store for me to buy a little merchandise.  I had refused to buy anything in advance in case I did not finish.

I ended up with a hoodie, sticker, water bottle and two other shirts.  Chances are, you will see me wearing an Ironman shirt at some point very soon.  :)  We made the eight hour drive home, stopping along the way.  That is when the soreness kicked in.  Still, it was not as bad as I was expecting.  On Tuesday, we both went back to work.  I guess life has to go on after Ironman.

Two random things, my hoo hoo was numb until Wednesday.  It did not hurt, it was just numb.  The other thing, remember when I mentioned that my bike helmet was crooked all day?  Well it must have irritated a nerve in my head because if I touch a certain part near my forehead hair line, I have a weird sensation go in a line to the back of my head.  Very random.  It has gotten better and is almost completely gone.

When I got to my office on Tuesday, I was surprised with a decorated door.

My entire office tracked me all day on Sunday.  They are all super proud of their Ironman!

I received a very special delivery from Ken on Tuesday.  Now, if he did not already receive husband of the year for his spectating, he should definitely receive it for the beautiful flowers!  

I received these beautiful flowers and chocolates on Wednesday from Ken's parents.  Talk about making me feel spoiled!

Jill, Heather, me, Michelle, and Melissa (thanks for the picture Mel!)

I spent the weekend celebrating with friends, telling the story of my day and enjoying a few cocktails.  I have also been very spoiled by my friends.  I have received gift certificates for facials, massages, pumpkin baked goods, and other gifts.  I certainly have the sweetest friends a girl could ask for!  

Oh and in case you did not notice, September 1st has come and gone.  I certainly hope you are in the spirit of Fall and have enjoyed a Pumpkin Spice Latte!  I had my first on Friday.  I was prepared to beg for it, but the nice lady a Starbucks kindly made it with no begging needed.  It was everything I had hoped it would be!