Teens

I absolutely love that this is the scene I walked into after picking up McKenzie: Cambrie and Dallin hanging out watching Frozen and singing at the top of their lungs.

  

 

Triple Bypass

Jeremy and I decided to mix up our training a little bit and experience something new, Colorado's iconic Triple Bypass ride-106 miles, 10,000 feet of climbing up three mountain passes; Juniper, Loveland and Vail.  Anthony loves long distance rides like this.  It is his jam.  Chuck is up for anything and has dipped his toes in more sporting events than anyone I know.  Those two are riding Lotoja this fall with Jeremy and so Jeremy thought this would be a great opportunity to ride with them and see what he is in for in a three short weeks.  He was able to find a registration late in the game and has been getting really excited about the ride.  He wanted to use the ride as a chance to practice pacing with Anthony and was planning on crushing the ride.  I on the other hand thought it sounded long, hard, and lonely.  I wasn't as interested in riding because I didn't want to be left behind as the guys took off.  Well, things always change. Ken couldn't use his registration and so instead of letting it go to waste gave it to me.  Now that I'm preparing for IM Chattanooga I need some solid miles anyway so I might as well join in the fun.  I didn't know until just four days before that I was riding and opted to ride my TT bike instead of my new road bike, simply because I know it well and trust it.  I looked a little goofy out there on a TT bike, but there were at least five other crazies like me so I wasn't the only one.  

Race morning wasn't as early as I expected it to be.  We didn't start riding until a little after 7:00.  I thought maybe I'd try to stay up with the guys but my HR was so high those first few miles that I let Anthony and Jeremy take off.  Chuck stayed and rode with me.  I thought for sure that he would take off at some point, but we ultimately did the whole ride together and it was really nice to have company. 

 It was a wet and rainy day for a ride.  The name of the gear game was layers.  We put our layers on in the rain, off in the sun, on during the descents and off during the climbs.  During our first wet climb, I was slightly surprised to see a SAG vehicle stopping to take care of a few cyclists.  One of them was Jeremy.  He and Anthony had tried putting on their jackets while they were moving, but Jeremy's coat sleeve got caught in his derailleur and broke it!  Jeremy's bike was broken just eight miles into our ride. The plan was for the SAG vehicle to take him to the next aid station to find some tools to fix it.  Anthony, Chuck and I felt bad but there was nothing we could do so we kept riding.  It turned out to be a lousy day for Jeremy.  He never found a bike mechanic with the right tools to fix the bike.  He had to drive back to Evergreen before heading back up to Vail, had to walk miles between aid stations and bike shops, and ended up at the finish line minutes before the rest of us showed up seven hours later.  It was awful.  

The rest of us had a great time though.  The climbs weren't as steep as I feared and I even giggled on the descents.  Heidi Carlson warned me about a dark spot around mile 40-50.  She was right.  On any normal day it would be a great section of the course on a quiet path through the forest, but in the middle of the ride it just seemed to last forever.  I turned to Chuck and told him that I don't think I'd ever do the ride again based on that section alone.  But at Loveland there was an aid station with sandwiches, pickle juice, chips and Coke and that was enough to reset me.  Loveland Pass was actually a great climb and then I felt home free.  

Before that day I hadn't ridden more than 56 miles so I didn't know how I was going to be feeling around mile 80.  Not bad apparently.  Thank you fitness. The whole ride was beautiful through the mountains and I couldn't get over the smell of pines.  I didn't mind the rain, I had the right layers and was plenty warm.  It made for an epic day.  I crossed that finish line with a 7:26 ride time.  I was feeling great and was so glad I decided to join these guys at the last minute.  Jeremy was happy for us, but is looking for some redemption.  I have a feeling he'll come up here next week and ride the course just to prove he has what it takes too.  Who would have thought that I'd check this ride off of my "If you live in Colorado you must..." list?

First day of school

Here we go!  Time for school!  For some reason this summer didn't feel like other summers.  I never felt like we were bored.  Or at least I never heard the repetitive phrase from my kids that they were bored.  That is normally my indicator about whether or not we are ready for school to start back up.  So I guess we weren't ready!  Ready or not here it comes.  Daxton is in first grade and for the first time ever is really, truly excited about starting school.  He has become so much more confident and brave the last few years.  

Kelton is in third grade and is really hoping that his new teacher makes him super smart.  He is continuing with his goal to be friends with everyone at school.  I'm so proud of him for that goal.

We have never had such a rainy start to the school year.  We had to pull out jackets and umbrellas for the walk to school.  It was a deluge, not just a little rain!  

Best brother buddies

McKenzie went to school after lunch and by then the rain had let up a little bit.  She's so much more confident about middle school now that she has a year of it behind her.  She is excited about her classes, her schedule, and even her locker placement.  

Cambrie had one extra day of summer vacation before she had to go back.  She admitted to me that she is actually starting to enjoy high school.  She finally has friends at her lunch and friends in her classes.  She is taking a few honors classes and an AP class.  This is all so crazy for me!

Now that the kids are gone all day, it's just Moki and I here at home.  Hopefully he doesn't get too bored with only me for company!

Broomfield Shoot-out

Now that I have two kids in competitive soccer, it means that I have twice the tournament games to go to!  This weekend they each played three times, which meant six soccer games.  I love watching my kids play.  I truly have no complaints about watching them.  It is one of my favorite parts of being a mom.  It simply gets tricky trying to be everywhere at once.  Saturday was a day of juggling and making it work.  Daxton and I each packed a bag and made a day of it: game, gymnastics, game, game, gymnastics, game.  At least the weather was nice.  

Both kids' teams did amazing!  At Kelton's final game they played against a team that was drastically better than they were.  Instead of getting frustrated, Kelton raised his game and played his heart out.  I have never been prouder of him.  I may have cried as I hugged him after the game.  

Cambrie's team did great.  It's fun recognizing so many of her teammates from last year.  

Unfortunately Cambrie didn't go to the championship game on Sunday and receive her medal and trophy with the rest of her team. U16 Champions!  Nice work girls!

Double date nights

It's been awhile since Jeremy and I have made time for a real date night.  This week we had not one, but two!  On Tuesday we were able to go to the Rockies vs. Cardinal game.  Watching a baseball game in a suite with sliders, pretzels, and desserts is my kind of evening.  The Rockies were on fire scoring nine runs in the third inning alone!  The final score was Rockies 16-Cardinals 8.  It was such a great game.  

Then on Thursday Jeremy had purchased tickets for a candlelight concert in the park.  We listened to a string quartet play sci-fi arrangements including Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and other lesser known but just as beautiful arrangements.  We laid out a blanket on the grass, watched the sunset, and simply enjoyed the amazing music.  It was so incredibly relaxing a perfect way to spend the night with Jeremy.

 

Boulder 70.3

I believe this is our sixth year at Boulder 70.3. I can't believe we've be here at this venue so many times.  It's our home course and so we know the hills, the trails, the heat, but I still haven't fallen in love with it yet.  Jeremy loves it, and that sometimes has to be enough for both of us!  Bruce came out to race again and Leesa said she could bring the kids to the course to cheer us on.  

Race morning at Boulder Rez starts early because of the parking and traffic situation.  We've learned it's a lot better to get there early and wait than to be frustrated and stuck.  This year though something must have happened because while we were all in our wetsuits preparing to get in the water, they announced that they were going to delay the start by 30 minutes to allow the rest of the athletes to get here through the traffic.  Ugh.  We found a comfortable place to wait and I laid down determined to relax.  Someone tapped on my knees and as I opened up my eyes to see who it was, was shocked to see Lexi!  She flew out for a girls weekend with her old college roommates and said she'd come out to cheer me on.  How she found me amid the thousands of other athletes I don't know, but I was so glad!  We haven't seen each other since Nice and have become even better friends since then.  Knowing she was there on the course cheering me on was amazing.  

It was finally time to start and Jeremy and I got to work.  The swim was fine, nothing crazy.  I came out pretty early in the lead group.  I latched onto two other women on the bike determined to make this work.  We were the top three women and we were going to cruise.  Unfortunately they pulled away around mile 30 and I chose not to fight to keep up with them.  It's been a high stress race year as I've been placing a lot of weight on my ranking.  I decided to let that go for this race because I don't want whether I have a trophy or not to determine how successful the race went.  My power steadily dropped on the ride as I let that competitive fire die.  Jeremy and I hopped off our bikes at almost the same time.  I thought we'd run together but I ended up with a side ache that I couldn't get rid of which slowed me down. Lexi was there on the run course cheering for me to catch Jer, but that fire had been doused and I didn't think I could get it back.  It was hot like always but I thought I did a much better job managing that with my fluids and nutrition so it didn't feel as awful.  

I was able to see my kiddos as I was getting off the bike, as I was starting my run, and at the turn around point.  They looked happy and excited to be there!  I hope they know how much it means to us to see them out there cheering for us.

  My side ache finally went away around mile 7 and so the second loop of the run felt a lot more comfortable.  Lexi was calling out placements and I thought I was a solid fourth or fifth in my age group.  It was pretty disappointing to learn later that I finished sixth, again.  Agh!  What a hard season to constantly finish just off the podium.  

Jeremy on the other hand had his best race ever.  Everything came together beautifully.  He pushed crazy watts on the bike and was able to hold them the entire 2:30 hours.  He said he never felt so strong.  His run was great too.  He didn't collapse and pulled out an amazing time.  I'm so proud of him!  He deserves to have a great race!  

After we crossed that finish line both Jeremy and I showered and cleaned up to wait for Bruce.  Luckily we could wait and eat Kona Ice, and I quite liked that. 

 Bruce ultimately didn't do as well as he'd hoped, but it was still a solid race.  

We were waiting around for awards and the St. George roll down when we were hit with the classic Colorado afternoon thunderstorm.  So much for that!  We loaded up wet gear, wet kids, wet humans, and headed home for the day.  Jeremy did in fact get his St. George World's slot so we're headed back to St. George in October!  Great job hun!

Jeremy: Swim 36:17, T1 2:33, Bike 2:19:57, T2 1:35, Run 1:44:39, Overall 4:45:00 

AJ: Swim 28:11, T1 2:08, Bike 2:34:54, T2 1:47, Run 1:47:27, Overall 4:54:26

Bruce: Swim 39:22, T1 5:34, Bike 3:05:20, T2 4:02, Run 3:23:39, Overall 7:17:56

Behind the wheel...vroom...vroom...vroom

Someone, namely Cambrie, has been counting down the days until she could drive.  As soon as she finished driver's ed, (which she reported as being incredibly boring.  The only highlight being the field trip they took outside to the intersection to watch how many cars break the law), she thought she knew it all and was ready to hit the road.  Unfortunately for her she had to wait a full two weeks before she held that permit in her hand!  What torture!  To make the wait even more agonizing we took Cambrie with us to go car shopping for our family commuter car.  We didn't even have the keys in hand before Cambrie christened the car, Baymax.  Welcome to the family Baymax.  May you survive all four teenage drivers...  

Now that she finally has her permit she is asking to drive on every outing.  The stretch between work and home she is becoming particularly familiar with.  It's been a month and so far we've only had one really close encounter.  All things considered it's going pretty well.  Now she just has to wait another eleven months before she can hop in Baymax any time she wants without Jeremy and I.  I don't think those eleven months will go fast enough for her.

Last First Tooth Fairy visit

The tooth fairy visited our Daxton last night.  He's the fourth kid to receive a picture like this from her.  I love these sweet sleeping pictures of my kids.