Sherox Triathlon

I have been running for almost two years now and have really enjoyed getting fitter :)! But it was time to bump up the training and try a triathlon! My friend Camille signed up for an all women tri in Tempe and invited me and a few others to join her. I decided to give it a try (no pun intended). The first thing you have to know about a Triathlon is that everyone...and I mean EVERYONE looks goofy in the swim cap!

I figured that I had already been training for the running portion, and on the days that I don't run I have been riding my bike around a bit. However, the swimming was really stumping me. I don't really have access to a pool and outside pools were cold (not anymore, but you have remember I started training in March). I kept trying to figure out how to get the swimming in without spending any money, but not getting too cold. I finally broke down about a month before the race and I joined a gym for 30 days...just so I could get some swimming in! I was glad that they were willing to work with me!

Camille was really good at getting us all organized and getting some group training sessions going. We went on several long bike rides together (including a little running after riding...practical since that is exactly what you do in the race). We also went out to Saguaro Lake (had to practice swimming in the open water) a couple of times.

The were 5 of us that ended up being in the race. That morning we all drove over to Tempe and got set up. I wasn't sure where to put my stuff or how to set up the bike or anything. So I just asked a lot of questions and observed a lot! Jamie (one of the gals that was in our group) brought some nail polish and we all did up our toes while we were waiting for the start of the race. Silly, but I think it helped calm the nerves a bit!

They started the swim in "waves" according to age group. So I guess I really know that I am getting older because I was in the 5th wave. I don't remember how many waves after me there were, but not as many as there were before and some of those were the ones that were doing the tri in teams.

They wrote our number on each arm and then our age on our calf. I was wondering why they wrote the age on our calf, but in the bike and run I was glad because I could tell who was in my age group. It helped me mentally to know so that I knew if I cared if they passed me or not!


I ended up renting a road bike because my bike has virtually no brakes and I did something to Dave's bike a couple of days before the race that took it out of contention. I was really glad to have a nice bike to ride...it made all the difference in the world!


The run was a KILLER! I think it must have been over 90 degrees by the time we started running and it was tough even though it was only 3.1 miles. I kicked it in at the finish and came in just before the gal that you can see in the picture. She was ahead of me the last mile, but she had a 42 (in my age group) on her calf and I was determined to cross before she did!

Here we are having accomplished our GOAL!!! Jamie, me, Yvette, Camille and Sara! It was such an awesome feeling to have finished and had our families there to support us! Later that night we checked the race results on the computer and I was thrilled with my times and place. I could hardly believe it! I came in 12th out 65 women in my age group. That is the highest finish I have ever had in any race that I have run. I was 74th out nearly 400 women total who did the race. I was so happy to have completed the race and done so well too!

What have I gotten myself into???

After several seasons not doing any sports (I think I got soccered (is that a word?) out when I had 4 kid playing one season. Okay, no need to whine...I have many friends and family members that do sports all the time with that many and more players, so maybe my tolerance level for sports is just low, or maybe if my kids looked forward to playing the last few weeks as they did the first few, I would enjoy it more. Anyway, I decided that Amber needed another outlet and more opportunities to see friends...so I signed her up for softball (thanks to a phone call from a friend whose daughter was also signed up). I went ahead and signed Kent up also, which made for an incredibly CRAZY day yesterday!

Here is what my day looked like yesterday:

• up at 5:30 to go running, by the time I got out the door it was already 5:50am...so much for getting right out there (there are good reasons, but I will spare you the details).
• once I got home and tried to do a few sit ups, the gang was up and needing help.
• got everyone off to school and loaded Kent, Lindsay and Amber into the car for the carpool over to their school.
• came home and worked with Amber until it was time to pick up Lindsay and neighbor from school at 11:15am.
• Made lunch for Amber and Lindsay and me.
• Did some last minute cleaning...downstairs bathroom, front of all the appliances in the kitchen and cleaned out the inside of the microwave and scrubbed the kitchen sink, because BUNKO was at my house at 7pm.
• Finally hopped in the shower and then got dressed. I felt a headache coming on and knew that this was not the day to "just see if it will go away", so I immediately took some Excedrin type medication and laid down for about 10 minutes.
• Finished getting ready and hopped in the car to go pick up Kent and friends from school (early release).
• Dropped kids off (including Kent who wanted to play with a friend rather than go shopping with me...my kids HATE shopping). Amber and Lindsay usually are not great shoppers, but I was being blessed and they were very good and sweet the WHOLE time.
• I had about 1 hour to get what I needed to get for Bunko and get home and move into the next busy phase. Got home in the nick of time and unloaded the groceries...putting in the fridge and freezer the cold items and left the rest for later...when I had more time???
• Called and Kent came home...worked on the homework for music class and piled back in the car. We weren't coming home for a while so everyone had to get their clogging shoes (Amber & Lindsay) and t-ball/softball stuff (Kent & Amber) and off we went to music class (which is really for Kent and Lindsay, but Amber had to come because I didn't have time to come back and get her and there was no one else home anyway.
• Rushed from music class to drop Lindsay off at clogging then rushed to the school (where the practices were, both of them (what a blessing!) and got Kent & Amber settled in...for a few minutes for Amber at least.
• Amber only got to stay for 20 minutes of practice because she had to go to clogging. So we hopped back in the car (after telling my friend that I would really be back to get Kent, I PROMISE!) and went back to clogging (which is...another blessing and the whole reason that I thought I could pull this all off... just around the block).
• Dropped Amber off, picked up Lindsay and a friend...took friend home and went back to the field to make sure Kent was going to be okay. I ended up being there about 15 minutes and Amber was dropped off and went to the end of her practice. It was now 6:10 pm and Bunko would start at my house in 50 minutes and I still needed to put away groceries and make sloppy joes and finish everything up. It was so windy outside I thought we were all going to blow away (this will mean something more in a minute).
• Got home about 6:20pm and started getting stuff ready. Fortunately Paige had called and asked what I needed and I asked if she would make sure the house was decluttered. She even swept under the table (I hadn't had time for that earlier) and did some last minute dusting...what an angel!
• Sent Dave and kids off to DQ to get their own dinner. I had planned on having the sloppy joes all ready so they could just eat here...but there was NO TIME:)!

Took a deep breath and told myself that my Bunko friends would understand if I were not ready in time. They were very understanding (maybe they have had days like this too!). Remember the wind? I didn't even go into the bathroom to see if my hair was out of control and I didn't even think about it until I was getting ready for bed after the whole day was over. I guess it was an okay messy because no one said anything. WHEW!!

It was quite the day and the season has just started!!!

A Tribute to a Wonderful Father-in-Law

Today was a sad day for our family. We lost our Grandpa, Father, Father-in-law Kent Garner. I wanted to just take a minute to remember some of the happy times...there were many! We have been blessed to have him on "borrowed" time for at least 6 1/2 years and really almost 20 since he was first diagnosed with cancer. Dave was in the MTC when Kent was first diagnosed. Fortunately, at that time all went well and many years were spent working, living, growing and loving.

About the time that I was pregnant with our 4th child, Kent and Suzann were preparing to serve a mission and through the physical check up's it was discovered that the cancer had returned. Kent was told that the cancer had gone into his bones. At the time the Doctor gave him 6 months to 5 years to live and that it would depended on how well his body responded to the treatment. He responded well for over 5 years and the last year plus has been a exclamation blessing.

We named our son after both his grandpa's (Kent R. Garner & C. Kent Hugh). It seemed appropriate at the time and continues to give us opportunities to teach him about the importance of a name. In fact just yesterday he was asked to give a talk in Primary and he talked about being part of a family and what a privilege it is to share his name with some wonderful men.

I just wanted to include a couple of pictures from around Christmas Time when we shared some wonderful times with Grandpa Kent Garner.



I am so thankful for the example that Grandpa Kent was to me and my family. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be a part of his family. The funeral will be on Monday, March 2, 2009 at the Highland Stake Center here in Gilbert. There will be tears and laughter as we celebrate his life and legacy.

Fun Weekend!

The stressful week leading up to our weekend ski trip was tough, but we made it through with lots of help from family and friends. The most stressful part was making sure that my kids were taken care of while we were gone. Thanks to everyone who stepped in and make it possible to go, and for helping us to not feel guilty for leaving at such a crazy time.

We arrived in SLC with no problems. We went to get our rental car and our challenge was to see if we could fit 5 adults with luggage into our Dodge Charger. Well, we put the men on the job and they came through with flying colors. I stood outside and observed the process, while Camille sat in the car and went for a ride, as they pushed and pulled and manuvered. It all worked out and we didn't even have to hold any suitcases on our laps!

Mission Accomplished!!

We drove up to Park City, settled in and then went to rent our skis so we would be ready for a full day of skiing the next morning. During the night it had snowed lightly and it was so quiet and beautiful. I don't miss driving in the snow, but I do miss the quiet and how beautiful the world is when it is dressed in white.


We had clouds on an off all day and sometimes the visibility was limited, but we all had a great time with no major wipeouts!! Dave is becoming quite the skier!

The views from the tops of the mountain were spectacular
and it was fun to be with my sweatheart!

We stayed at Camille's parent's home, which is just beautiful. We celebrated Sara's birthday (thanks to April for all the planning, preparation and execution!), spent time relaxing in the hot tub, played games and talked.

Sunday we went to church and then drove down to Heber Valley and did some sight seeing. Here we are at the Homestead in Midway.

When it came time to come home it was bittersweet. I missed my kids, but I love being with just adults too for a while!

I am READY for some good news!

Life seems to get more complicated the older I get. My kids have problems I don't know how to help solve no matter how many parenting books I read or classes I attend; my friends have trials I don't know how to help them through; and to top it all off Dave's Dad's health is starting to really deteriorate. Why did I ever think that when I got older things would be easier because I would be wiser? I remember looking at my mom when she was my age and thinking that she knew how to handle everything. Maybe she did or maybe it was just my perception. I hope my kids look through the same rose-colored glasses I did and then when they are older I can tell them the truth (life is never as easy as everyone else makes it look). It is times like this that I am glad that I have started to try and understand what Faith is all about. I know that I can't figure this out on my own and I have to just trust that the Lord knows what He is doing and that everything will work out the way that it is supposed to. I am also sure that there is a lot of praying going on...and not just at my house!

Learning to appreciate life.

When faced with mortality it is amazing how insignificant some things become that seemed important only moments before. Well, for example, like getting the laundry done, the dirty blinds, spots on the carpet...on second thought those things were never really that significant to me. I better try another avenue. Keeping in touch with friends, thinking I will figure out someway how to repay a kindness, but never really getting around to it, wishing my kids would stop whining, but not taking the time to help them figure out what they need. Hopefully, I can find the important things from an ETERNAL perspective and focus on those!

New Picture

Okay so today while I was working on the computer, Dave came up behind me and informed me that I needed to change the picture that is on my blog. I promptly told him that I don't have any good pictures of me, so he proceeded to take several. So to make him happy I now have a new picture. I am not so sure it is any better, but it is new:).