WOW Museum

Sometimes I'm surprised as I think about what my life used to be like with just two small kids.  We would go to the park, the zoo, the museum, the library, or just on walks to pass the time.  I didn't have school schedules, sports schedules, or nearly as many chores to do.  Life was really simple and my girls loved it.  In those rare moments when I have time to take a breath and remember those days, I feel like I need to create those moments for my boys too.  On a whim I took them to the WOW Museum up in Lafayette.  It has been years since I've been up there.  My boys are old enough now that they loved everything there and had so much fun.  

First stop: dressing up like pirates!  Okay, they're stinkin' adorable.

A pirate-dinosaur-cowboy?  Sure I guess. 

Daxton's favorite exhibit, the car track.  There were multiple lanes so the boys could race their cars.  There was also a track you could assemble with hills, bumps, and jumps.  It was a slower option but Daxton really liked it.  

Riding the electronic car.  

The model train case was a huge hit.  When I would lose Daxton in this room I always knew right where to find him, next to the train.  

It's hard to get a silly reflection picture of these mirrors, but Kelton made some really goofy faces.  

 The personality of my two boys couldn't be more evident than when they walked along this balance beam.  Kelton practically ran across the boards and jumped from platform to platform.  Daxton would barely creep along while holding my hand.  They are so different!

Don't know the official name of these toys, but we just called them alien stickies.  Even I liked playing with those.

The wind exhibit was awesome!  There were powerful fans the kids could use to shoot handkerchiefs and leaves into the air.  No joke, my boys watched stuff fly through the air for a half hour.

Kelton tried blowing his face off.

This was a fun exhibit where the boys could experiment with making tracks and trails for toy balls.  I was getting pretty tuckered out by this point, but the boys were still going strong.  

As a compromise I let them choose one last exhibit before we left.  They chose the giant bubble.  It was all fun and games until Daxton fell into the soapy water and completely soaked himself.  Nothing classier than leaving with a jacket and diaper!

Piha..ah..ah..ah

The one small setback from spending the whole afternoon laughing with new friends, is that we were about five hours late leaving Taupo.  Our final night we spent up in Piha, near Auckland, and we wanted it to be completely chill and relaxed.  I found a great Airbnb with a view of the ocean and pretty close to the beach.  It looked exactly like the place we needed to unwind after the race.  We didn't arrive until after dark and could barely hear the waves from our patio.  We fell asleep thinking that we definitely needed more than one night there.  When we woke up, Jeremy was literally on the phone calling the airlines trying to figure out what it would cost to stay an extra day.  It was so tempting.  So, so tempting.  Ultimately we thought of how disappointed the kids and Leesa would be if we were late, so we kept our plans the way they were.  

Our good morning wake up view.

Breakfast on the patio.

We wanted to make the most of our time there, an our host recommended a hike that took us past some pools that fill up with the tide then ultimately to the beach.  It sounded perfect.  We loved the natural beauty.  There on the mountainside in Piha were the pretty grasses.  With the sunrise they looked like they were glowing.  

Our first way point along they way was a lookout to the Tasman Sea.  Beautiful!  From there we could see a couple of places that looked like what our host had described.  

We kept walking and Jeremy found a drop to a cave that accessed the sea.  We found a trail that led down inside of it and went exploring.  It must have been low tide because we were able to walk all the way inside the cave.  It was named the Blowhole.  We waded through there for a bit and continued on, where shortly after we found sand and the beach.  

We could tell how much that area filled up during high tide as well, but I loved seeing everything exposed.  The sand was really soft and we just walked along the beach for awhile.  Eventually it turned around a bend and we could see Piha beach.  There were a lot of surfers out there in the bay, and Jeremy and I kept having flashbacks to Costa Rica.

Way too soon it was time for us to make the climb back up to our room and get ready to fly out.  We were not ready!  It's not very often that Jeremy and I truly aren't ready to go home after a vacation.  There was so much we didn't see and didn't do while we were in New Zealand.  True, we saw and did a ton, but there was so much left.  The original plan was that this would be a once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list race, however we're thinking now that we may just have to go back.  So instead of good-bye, we'll say see you soon.

The people you meet

Sunday morning we went to the local Taupo ward.  They are pretty used to having Ironman athletes in the congregation and welcomed all those limping into the services.  It was fast and testimony meeting, and from what I could tell about half the ward was visiting because of the race.  Ultimately we stayed the whole three hour block, which was great; we really were able to bond with the ward members and other racers.  Remember Jocelyn McCauley, the pro athlete?  She and her husband, Scott, were there.  We also met with Ben Marshall and his wife, Tracy.  He is the head bike mechanic at the event.  There was also another family there cheering for their friends.  The members were all very welcoming and Ariana and Cameron Murphy invited all of us over to their house for Sunday lunch.  We thought, "Why not?"  So off we went for lunch.  As we sat and visited we realized that Cameron actually served part of his mission in the Logan Ward in Philadelphia!  What a small world.  We spent the whole afternoon laughing and sharing stories.  It's nice to be reminded that you can find LDS friends anywhere in the world.  By the time we left we really felt like we had gained six new friends.  Ariana reminded me of Kristen Farnsworth.  She was so welcoming and genuine.  We now have friends in New Zealand and if we ever need it, we have a place to stay and people to hang out with.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

IMNZ & IMNZ 70.3

Ok, here it is.  The grand finale...race day.  By now Jeremy and I were both pretty nervous.  Our coach gave us some pretty detailed instructions of what he wanted to see.  Mine included phrases such as "Hit 2:45 on the bike or you're not coming home...okay you can come home but there will be some nasty bike sets waiting for you."  And, "If you do 90% of the things on this list then you'll podium."  And the general vibe was go out, work harder than you've worked before, hit your times, and win the race.  It's a very different type of nervous from being scared about racing 70.3 miles, to racing 70.3 and winning the thing.  I was scared sick.  Trying to eat dinner the night before (and the morning of the race) is extremely difficult.  Nothing has flavor and it's hard to swallow.  But you know those calories are going to be critical later so you choke it down.  

Putting on our tattoos is always fun.  At this race they gave us age categories to put on our calves.  Between the two of us, ours said, "Hi!" 

Here are Jeremy's arms, they look pretty impressive: race number, a nod to New Zealand culture with the tribal tats, and the kids' tattoos.  

Race morning we woke up early to get to transition.  Unfortunately there were a bunch of little delays and we missed the Maori haka welcome!  We were pretty disappointed about that.  However we suited up and tried to get our game faces on.  I loved seeing my name on all of my stuff.  It made me feel legit.

After the pros took off, Jeremy left to line up for his start.  I didn't start for an hour so I had plenty of time to be nervous.  I watched the swimmers for awhile, having no idea where Jeremy had ended up, then tried to get in my zone.  I was so nervous!  

Finally it was time to get this party started.  I walked into the water and made my way to the swim start.  It was a mass start so I was lining up with men and women of every age.  It was a bit intimidating, but I'm a strong swimmer so I lined up on the front line no matter what looks people were passing me.  My plan was to nail the swim and come out in front.  The lake was gorgeous.  Last year a nasty wind picked up that ended many athletes race before it even really began.  This year couldn't have been more different.  The lake was almost glass, the sun was starting to peak through the clouds, there weren't any swells at all, and it was perfect.  I did my job and was feeling strong.  On the second half of my swim I started running into the 140.6 swimmers, and I found myself hoping that none of them was Jeremy.  He should have been out of the water about 18 minutes before me.  I found the finish, and literally ran up the ramp, up the road, up the stairs, and to my bike.  Now that my warm up was done, it was time to start the bike.  

By now my nerves had settled into determination and I took off.  I'm not a strong biker, but I have improved and I like picking people off as I ride.  It wasn't until about 15 miles in that I saw my first 70.3 female.  There were three of them, and they were my targets for the next two and a half hours.  My coach wanted my power at 140-145 the whole race, building towards the end.  I haven't raced wattage before, and I had no idea what that would feel like.  I dug in and tried to make it happen.  The bike was green, flat, and gorgeous.  The road was slightly bumpy because of the chip and seal they use to pave them, but it wasn't as horrible as I had been expecting.  Other than that, I had no complaints.  When we rode the course earlier that week we only made it about halfway to the turn around.  The day before we decided to drive the rest of the way and I'm so glad I did.  Because there are so many farms and slight bends to the road it was hard to tell how far we had gone.  Without that drive I would have been just dying trying to find the turn around.  Jeremy still had trouble with it.  We also had to ride our bikes on the left side of the road.  That's not too complicated when you're riding single file.  The difficulty comes when I tried to grab the water bottles from the aid station with my left hand.  I'm useless with my left hand.  I'd grab the water bottle, stick it between my teeth, then switch it to my right hand where I could actually do something useful with it like drink it or drench myself.  I saw Jeremy a few minutes before the turn around and I was very grateful.  I thought it might be the only look I had of him until my race was over so it was comforting to know that he was still looking good.  I was also grateful for those other women who passed me earlier on because they became great motivation and pacing buddies.  We can't draft, but at least we can pace.  As the bike was finishing up I was so excited that I was getting close to that 2:45 time.  It was going to be close coming into town, but at least I wouldn't have extra sets when I got home.  

The goal of both the bike and the swim was to set me up for the run.  I'm a strong runner and we were hoping to use that strength to hang on longer than anyone else.  One of my biggest fears on race day (besides getting a flat tire), is the heat.  We had been warned that the seasons can change on a dime in Taupo and that the sun is very hot.  I had just been praying that the overcast clouds we had all week would stick around long enough for me to complete my run.  It was partially cloudy, and when the sun came out I could feel it, but it was enough.  I felt strong and steady.  I picked off two girls right at the beginning, then started hunting for more.  I didn't know how many girls were in front of me, but I was really hoping none of them were in my age division.  I saw two about 1/3 of the way into my run and didn't think I'd be able to catch them, but thought it was worth a shot.  I felt amazing.  My tummy felt great and my legs felt strong.  As I was closing in on the finish line I realized that I was about to PR in my half marathon, after a half Ironman!  I finished strong and as I came down the chute I heard the announcer call out that I had won my age group!  Hurray!  I still didn't know what place I took overall, but I was pretty excited.  

I hobbled into the athlete recovery tent and sat down to rest.  There was a bunch of food but I couldn't quite handle that yet.  I counted the ladies there and saw three others.  I assumed that meant I took fourth and I anxiously awaited the results to know for sure.  To save you the suspense, I took 4th.  A volunteer came around passing around ice-cream, which sounded great, so I grabbed some.  I was talking to a local Kiwi athlete while we ate and shared our stories.  He mentioned that some Diet Coke on the ice-cream sounded good.  Not just good, I thought, but amazing!  And did you know that in New Zealand those aren't called floats, they're called spiders?  A little trivia for you.  

Once I felt like I could walk, I hobbled my way down the race course to look for Jeremy.  I checked his athlete tracker and saw that I had timed it perfectly.  He had just finished his bike and was coming out of transition to start his run.  I was right there and was able to cheer him on as he ran past.  He looked like he was full of energy.  I just hoped that energy stayed with him during his marathon.  

I decided to walk all the way down the course until I reached our hotel.  I dashed inside long enough to put on dry clothes and sunscreen, then went back out to cheer for Jeremy.  When I saw him he was walking.  No!  What was going wrong!  He said that his lungs felt tight and he just couldn't get enough air.  I couldn't give him an inhaler, as much as I wanted to, and just walked with him for awhile.  He passed me three more times and each time he looked about the same.  His legs didn't look bad, but he just never felt like he could get into a rhythm.  The sun was out by this point and it was starting to cook the athletes.  I was trying to hide under my finisher's towel to escape the UV rays, but they couldn't do that.  I was afraid that was part of what was effecting Jer.  

On the last lap I didn't stay where I was, instead I walked back to the finish line.  On the way I made a quick little detour to pick up my trophy!  I missed my age group at the awards ceremony by 30 seconds, I couldn't believe it.  I stayed and cheered for the other winners then had to sheepishly walk up onto the stage when it was done to claim mine.  Mine!  I took 1st and I was so pumped!  

The timing of everything was spot on because now I could hang out at the finish line and wait for Jeremy.  I always love seeing him come down the finish chute because then I know he's safe, it's over, and it was another goal accomplished.  

I could join him in the recovery tent and I think we spent nearly and hour in there recovering.  We feasted, he got a massage, and I was able to use the Normatek boots.  When we finally left we were feeling pretty refreshed.  We picked up our gear and made our way to the hotel where we both took a well-deserved hot shower.  On this episode of "What crazy tan lines did AJ end up with?"  I had quite a few.  The kids' tattoos left actual shapes on my ankle.  See the parrot?  The others were just as fabulous.  That "H" tattoo left a giant square on the back of my calf.  My race numbers left one really long rectangle intersected by my athlete band on one arm, and my watch was on the other.  At least my thigh tan lines were even this year!  

Now comfortable, we walked back across the street to cheer on the remaining runners.  I have so much respect for those athletes who are out there after dark.  They have more grit and determination that I have.  We stayed long enough to cheer on a few of our new friends we had met during the week, then found ourselves the greasiest fish and chips place we could to fill our bellies before totally crashing in bed.  It was a pretty glorious day.  

AJ's splits: swim (29:03), T1 (3:49), bike (2:41:30), T2 (1:11), run (1:40:07), final time (4:55:40).  Jer's splits: swim (1:08:06), T1 (5:06), bike (5:22:48), T2 (4:05), run (4:35:28), final time (11:15:33).

Rotorua steam and mud

Took another road trip up to Rotorua to check out some of the geothermal parks around.  We didn't feel like walking a ton or paying a lot for entry fees to the official parks so we googled "free geo thermal" and were pretty happy with what we found.  In the middle of a Kuirau Park is a bunch of hot springs and mud pits.  They are simply fenced off and accepted as a normal part of life.  When a new pool sprouts up they just put rocks around it temporarily until they can fence it off properly.  The pools and steam vents do change. 

The park was pretty good sized and we had fun comparing each little pool to the others.  Our favorite though was the lake with a pathway spanning the steam.  You may not be able to read the story on the sign, but to sum it up a girl was taken by a monster and the gods were so angry they made the lake boil.  

This lake used to be cool enough to swim in.  Now trees are cooked skeletons and we get to watch the water bubble and boil as we walk past.  Naturally both Jeremy and I wanted to touch the water to see how hot it was.  Well that's just plain dumb...and Jeremy did anyway.  He said it wasn't as bad as he expected.  He must have chosen a cool spot.  However, when I dipped my fingers in I burned myself!  My fingers were raw from our caving trip and it wasn't pleasant.  

After our walk through the park we made our way to a Maori temple.  There were a lot of carvings on the property and we did our best to match the artistic talent that went into carving them.  

We had hoped to walk through a Christian church there on site and see the stained glass window of Christ in a ceremonial Maori robe, but it was closed for the day.  We saw the window from the outside however so that was pretty good.  

We also wandered through a cemetery there on the grounds for soldiers killed in WWI and WWII.   

Back on the road we stopped at Waiotapu Mud Pool.  Jeremy and I were cheering on the spots that had the best blurping noises.  We timed this photo pretty well to get the full explosion effect.  

After a long day on the road we decided to treat ourselves to something completely random, a trip to a mud pit and sulfur spa.  I've never painted myself with mud before and felt a little like a two-year-old.  Once the mud was nice and crusty we rinsed it off then hopped in a sulfer spa.  The mud and the water from the spa really do come directly from the property.  It was a little strange looking at the boiling, stinky pools next to us and thinking that we were willingly sitting in them.  Theoretically it is all very good for the skin, exfoliate and removing toxins from your body.  At least that's the idea.  Ultimately we did feel very smooth when we were done and our muscles felt ready for our upcoming race, but we sure were stinky!  Fast forward a week and our jackets still smell like sulfur (sorry lady sitting next to me on the plane).  It was a really neat experience though.

Jeremy gave it two thumbs up.