Vacation Pics

Getting ready to walk down to the lake to lay out/swim/hang out with my friend Allison, so not much time to write about the fabulousness that is Mexico, but I promise more details later. In the meantime, here is a link to our photo album from the trip... enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2651528&id=6807128&l=e4a653daa4

Hola from Puerto Vallarta!

hey, all! typing this on a keyboard with mostly spanish keys, so forgive me if i dont use capitals or punctuation correctly! at an internet cafe in downtown puerto vallarta, sunday afternoon. just finished lunch by the ocean and decided to check our emails and facebook and send you guys a hello before we go do some more exploring.

everything is going well. i am sure i will talk your ear off about it when we get home. actually not that hot here (upper 80s, lower 90s) but very humid, so you walk down the street for two minutes and you are sweaty, sweaty, sweaty. some big storms in the evenings or at night, lots of beautiful lightning over the ocean, but so far it has not stormed or rained during the morning or afternoon, though it looks like it could any minute and we forgot our umbrella at the condo... whoops! yesterday was beautifully sunny and very hot, today very overcast and not as hot, but still quite humid.

we really love our condo... it is a very scary (the road is like the pacific highway, right by the ocean with big cliffs and the drivers drive very very fast... pretty much no traffic rules here!) 10 minute bus ride from downtown, but that also means it is very quiet and very beautiful. view is amazing. the water at the beaches in town is almost brown from the runoff from the rivers and mountains, but the water at playa gemeles, where we are staying, is like carribbean water, very clear blue, so you can see down for many feet. very glad we decided to stay just outside of town. makes coming into town an adventure, and then you feel very relaxed when you go home in the evening.

i dont know what we would do without gearry being essentially fluent in spanish, though. i cant imagine being here just by myself, only speaking english and just a few basic spanish phrases. his spanish has helped us out a ton. he had a 10 minute coversation in only spanish with the cab driver on the way from the airport... good way to make friends. i just sat there stupidly, understanding about every 20th word. haha. the only other bad thing about it here is the many, many, many vendors trying to sell you things on the beach and the streets and getting you to come into their stores and restaurants. that is how it is in many foreign countries that cater to tourists, however, not just mexico. it is the low season, plus the economy is hurting badly from the medias horrible coverage of the drug wars and the swine flu, so people are desperate for money. you have to say no gracias, no gracias, continually. they are usually not pushy though. if you say no gracias, they leave you alone. some of the time. some are a bit aggressive, but again, it helps that gearry is pretty fluent. they are just hurting for money. it is nothing like the media portrays as far as violence and such though. no swine flu, no drug violence. police are everywhere, along with security, and everyone has been nice so far. if you want trouble, you can find it. but that is just like anywhere.

were going to go do some shopping and then have dinner at an awesome vegetarian restaurant and probably hang out at one of the beach bars this evening before head back south to the condo for the night. we spent the afternoon in town yesterday, but today will be our first evening in the city. tomorrow is our anniversary and we are going on a canopy tour in the a.m. in the mountains (zip lining and then swimming in one of the mountain rivers) and then going out for a nice oceanside dinner in the evening. we dont have any plans for tues., wed., thrs., or fri. weve been good about not making too many plans. our favorite thing to do here so far is just be lazy and lay on the beach and play in the waves!

They're baaaaaack...

Remember the post last year when Gearry and I had planted our new lilies and were SO EXCITED for them and then they died like a week later and we were like, "Oh?" Well, just to show you how we are completely NOT aware of how flowers work, we were pleasantly surprised a couple of weeks ago when buds appeared on them once again, and especially a couple days ago when, BAM! Flowers appeared. Apparently they are a briefly lived once-a-year treat. I'll get another picture soon in the short time frame between when all the buds bloom out and they die!

I'm finishing up the last of my packing for my D.C. girls' weekend. My flight leaves Indy tomorrow at 1:45 pm, so I plan to have breakfast with Gearry in the morning and then head up to the airport around 10:30 am. I land at 3:20 pm for three days of fun and mayhem!

And just because it is cute and because I took a picture of Zoey napping in almost the exact same place last week and I am an equal opportunity puppy parent, here is a picture I took this afternoon of Bailey catching some Z's on the guest room bed while I worked on my e-portfolio for P540 (which I spent the afternoon doing TWICE since when I went to hit the "submit" button it erased my entire portfolio. Yeah, a lot of cursing ensued.)

If I was a nudist, there would be much less to pack... hmm...

I HATE unpacking. Just ask Gearry. After every rowing road trip this spring, I would throw my suitcase on the floor in the bedroom and there it would stay until the next weekend, when it was time to pack it up and leave again (if I was really lucky, I could just leave most of the clean stuff in it and never really had to unpack it at all!). So, it should not be surprising that before I can pack for my Washington, D.C., trip this weekend, I must first UNPACK the suitcase from when I went camping with my parents a few weekends ago (which is lying on the floor of our bedroom, of course). It's even more fun thinking that when I get back from D.C. on Monday evening, I'll have to pretty much unpack right away so that I can start packing for Puerto Vallarta! I should just start storing all of my clothes in suitcases 24/7. It would be more efficient. I need to hire a personal assistant to do the few obligatory things in life I do not look forward to: unpacking/packing; folding laundry; dusting; taking recyclables to the recycling center; and taking the dogs out to potty when it's raining/cold/snowy.

So, I'm off to unpack and then re-pack. Even though I don't leave until Friday morning. I'm procrastinating from working on this transcribing assignment and my horrid P540 Learning & Cognition class.

Love.

Yesterday was a fantastic Sunday. I was still feeling the delayed effects of Saturday's race (i.e. I woke up feeling like I got hit by truck), but that was OK since Gearry and I decided our mission for the day was to relax. Gearry doesn't typically get Sundays off, but since his promotion he's worked out a schedule where he alternates Sunday-Monday off one week, Tuesday-Wednesday off the next week, Sunday-Monday, Tuesday-Wednesday, etc. We slept in, enjoyed some banana-chocolate chip pancakes and coffee on the back porch, and then Gearry tackled his long-neglected and self-appointed duty of grooming the dogs. This is a messy project in which our kitchen becomes pretty much useless for cooking for a day, but it results in some cute, clean little puppies without a trip to the groomer.

After we cleaned up from the grooming mess, we met up with Mom and Dad over at the dam and spent the day with them on their boat. It was a gorgeous day, not too hot. The water was a bit chilly, but not enough to keep us from hanging out in it! (This picture is of pale Gearry BEFORE he turned into a lobster... Despite my many, many -- probably annoying -- reminders to keep putting on sunscreen.) We went for a ride, spent most of the day anchored by the dam swimming & hanging out, and then ended the day with another spin around the lake.

The Hoosierman Experience: A Photo Essay

The goal: To Finish.

Don't I just look ridiculously excited to be getting ready to subject myself to 1 hr., 47 min., and 52 sec. of grueling exercise? I was.

Can I say that my biggest disappointment with this race was that they made me wear a hot pink swim cap, which completely clashed with my cream & crimson uni? It was. It also somehow adds to the effect that I am a giant next to Gearry. But a fit-looking giant.

Beautiful day for a triathlon! Air upper 60s, low 70s, water 69 degrees officially, but I actually think the water felt much warmer than that. There were 187 participants in this inaugural event. We won't mentioned where I placed out of those 187, but I must mention that probably at least 4/5 of the field was men and perhaps 1/5 women.

If you know me at all, or read my last post, you know this is one of the main things I was terrified of: The Dreaded Swim.

That's me, front left. So, yes, I survived the swim. And, honestly, it wasn't bad. I was slooooooow... Really sloooooow. But I made it out!

You're tired from the swim, you're soaking wet, and you have to somehow have enough coordination to dry your feet, slip on your socks and shoes, and then hop on the bike for 16 miles of hilly fun. It's a sport for people who think it's fun to hurt.

What I am thinking in this picture: "The hardest part is over! Maybe an hour and 30 minutes left..."

Zoooooom! The bike is the only thing I am remotely fast on. I was one of the last of my wave out of the water on the swim, so I knew I had to gain some ground in the bike, because I'm also a semi-slow runner. But, again, it was about finishing. But I'm still competitive.

The winner, I believe, or someone close to the front of the pack. He probably had time to take a shower, get some lunch, and take a nap before I crossed the finish line. Literally.

The post-race debriefing with Gearry right after I crossed the finish line. I was in way better shape and way better fueled (I had Heed and Gatorade during the bike & run and a packet of Hammer Gel during the bike, plus a smart pre-race breakfast) than Tri Indy last year, when I thought I was going to pass out crossing the finish line. Today I felt pretty good (other than my stupid bum knee -- illiotibial band issues), thankfully not at all like I had just worked out for almost two hours.

There is probably much more to be said about the day, but I'll let the pictures say the rest, other than I had a ton of fun, I am proud of myself for finishing, and I am happy Mom, Dad, and Gearry were there to support me. When I was heading up the first hill in the run, I heard Mom say, "I've never been more proud of you" and -- even though I was doing it for me and not anyone else -- that pretty much made it all worth it.

Next up: Indy Sprint Series @ Eagle Creek on July 18th (pending knee issues) and Tri Indy Olympic Distance on August 16th (Team Event - I'm biking & running, my friend is doing the swimming).

That Sick Feeling in the Pit of Your Stomach...

Yeah, that's what I'm feeling right now: nauseous. T minus 18 hours til race start time and I kind of feel like I want to puke. I haven't worked out much the last few days, so I have a ton of energy, yet I'm lethargic at the same time (a typical trait of tapering). My IT band in my right knee is kind of randomly flared up, so I'm nervous about what is probably going to be a painful run tomorrow. I popped the chain on my bike during my ride this morning on a climb and that got me to thinking about the possibility of it happening during the race. I'm still not confident in the swim; my game plan is to alternate freestyle and breast stroke every 50-100 meters, since I'm much more confident in breast stroke, even though it is far slower. People are coming to watch, which is really nice for support but embarrassing if you don't finish well. I'm even worrying about things like my hair! It kind of goes crazy when I take my swim cap off, as a ponytail holder doesn't hold back all my layers, so how I am I going to get it pinned back out of my face in time for the bike? And that blasted confusing running trail that got us all confused on Sunday... How bad would it be to get lost DURING a race?? Or find out that your time doesn't count because you cut off part of a trail??

OK, that is why I'm nauseous. But I thought maybe writing it down would help.

White River Trippin'

My thoughts when I took this picture? "I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this." On Monday and Tuesday, I helped out at the summer camp where I used to work by supervising six White River canoe trips in two days. It was a lot of work and it was HOT and super sunny and I was pretty much exhausted after the two days were over, but it was also a lot of fun. Any excuse to be out on the water, plus get paid for it, is alright with me! I did four of the six trips in a canoe and two of the six trips in a kayak, which I definitely prefer. The picture about is from one of the day two trips in the kayak.

Times Flies When You're Having Fun

Wow, last week flew by. I was pretty busy and didn't take the time to sit down and update, so I'll kind of recap any points of interest I can think of that occurred over the last few days.

First of all, for all of you who have been telling me I should read it, I finally broke down, jumped on the bandwagon, and read Stephanie Meyer's uber-popular Twilight. Even though I have been resisting reading it, because it's not my kind of book, I decided it was a pool/lakeside/beach worthy read. I checked the 500-pager out of the library around 12:00 noon on Friday and had finished the entire book by 1:00 pm on Saturday. I didn't think it was fantastic, but it was a good, easy read, and now some things that didn't make sense when I saw the movie recently make a little more sense. Since I already bothered with the first 500 pages of vampire fun, I'm sure I will read the other three books in the series as well. I DO have a lot of pool/lakeside/beach laying around to attend to, so I have a good excuse to indulge in some light-hearted chick lit, my favorite. Next up for pool time today: Nicholas Sparks' Nights in Rodanthe.

Last Wednesday, Gearry and I hosted my head coach Steve and two assistant coaches, Conny and Josh, for a little dinner party on our back porch. Gearry played chef, of course. The food was amazing! The salad was made with baby spinach, strawberries, feta, candied almonds, and poppyseed dressing. For the meat eaters, he made a grilled red snapper. For the vegetarians (Steve and me), he made grilled portabello mushrooms. For everyone, he made goat cheese and fresh herb risotto and grilled asparagus. Gearry picked out a wine that accompanied everything nicely and we also had plenty of cold brew on hand. The evening was great, and as you can see by the picture, the table settings and fresh flowers looked fantastic on the back porch. So much fun to just sit and relax with these people who I worked so hard with all year long.

The Hoosierman Triathlon is getting closer and closer and closer! This Saturday, June 6, at Fairfax Beach. Today, I met up with about 15 triathletes for an organized group ride on the course. It was a social ride at a relatively comfortable pace, so it was fun to ride alongside people who enjoy doing all the same things you do and get to know them. Everyone was so friendly and interesting! Even some of the more seasoned triathletes thought the bike course, with all of its monster hills, was pretty intense, so that made me feel a little bit better about thinking the same thing! After the ride, a few of us decided we wanted to go run the 5K course. Well, it's a good thing we were all together because no one could figure out the trail course! A lot of the orange markers the race organizers put up a couple weeks ago have been taken down or moved, so it was pretty darn confusing. It took us 17 minutes to do the first mile of the trail run... that should say something! I also have a nice cut on my leg from some sticker bushes. The first mile of the run is crazy... Lots of steep, steep trail and you have to jump over creeks, over logs. Dang. But then the last two miles of the run are on the road, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel. If you don't get lost in the woods. They said they are going to remark the trails on Friday night, but I can see someone getting lost. Hopefully it is not me!

Also, perhaps since I last updated or perhaps I just forgot to mention it, Stebby and I decided we had far too little Colleen in our lives these days and so we're heading to Washington, D.C./Annapolis, for a girls' weekend, June 12th-15th. I fly out of Indy Friday afternoon, and Stebby flies out of Columbus around the same time, and we should land about the same time in Baltimore Friday afternoon, where Colleen will pick us up to begin a weekend of fun and mayhem! Can't wait to get crazy with my girls again. Saturday is our D.C. tourist day, which should be fun, and then we'll just see where the wind blows us for Sunday. So, this weekend, triathlon. Next weekend, D.C. Next weekend, Mexico. And then it will almost be July! CRAZY!

Alright, the pool is calling my name for a couple hours of sunning and reading before I drag myself back in front of my laptop to work on my (overdue) assignment for P540. This class seriously blows and is trying to put a damper on my summer, but I'm not going to let it!

Green Drinks and Slow Swims

Yesterday, Mom, Dad, Josh, and I made our way south to French Lick to attend my cousin Kyle's high school graduation. He was class valedictorian and will be attending Rose Hulman on, I believe, full scholarship. Yes, our family is one of overachievers ;) It was great to get to see a bunch of my family and show my support.

Mom, Dad, and I (Josh drove separately because he had to get home and get to bed early in preparation for waking at 4:00 this morning to go to the Indy 500) also made a quick stop while we were in French Lick to see Gearry at his restaurant. Business was booming -- they served about 240 that evening -- but he was excited that we came by and took a few minutes to say "hi." I had not been to the restaurant since he was promoted to head chef, so it was kind of neat to be there and look around and see all the people waiting for tables and think about how much responsibility he has. He is doing a fantastic job and seems to be really enjoying himself, so I couldn't be happier. If we could magically cut down his 50 minute commute time (without leaving Bloomington, of course), I think it would be absolutely perfect.

While at Kyle's open house, I got a chance to talk to my cousin Chris, who does tons of triathlons, including a couple full Ironmans. He is pretty much AWESOME. He asked if I was going to be doing the Hoosierman, since he knew I lived so close to the course, and that got me to really thinking about how close the race is! Two weeks from yesterday. That made me a little excited, but a lot nervous. I've done the Tri Indy duathlon, so I have my first race experience under my belt, but since it was only biking and running and did not include the swimming portion, the swim is throwing all kinds of nerves into the ring for this race. I'm slightly terrified. It's not that I can't swim; I've been swimming in the lake since I was a baby and I was a lifeguard, so swimming is not the issue. It's swimming WELL. Or FAST. My technique is somewhat awful, mostly brought about by the fact that I have 1) Never had formal swim training and 2) Panic when it comes to side-breathing and so therefore swim most of the way with my head stuck way up out of the water, a.k.a. lifeguard swimming.

So, I'm confident in the bike, slow but semi-confident in the run, and hesitant in the swim. My goal is just to not finish last... But the idea that I COULD finish last really scares me. I think it would be somewhat of a victory just to finish so that I can say I finished my first real triathlon (kind of how I felt when I finished the duathlon), but coming in last is not an option. The problem is if I'm slow enough on the swim that I come out of the water last, I will be playing catch up the entire bike and run, and that's no fun. I've gotta figure out how to get better at the swim over the next 13 days. On Wednesday morning Gearry is going to kayak alongside me (for safety) while I swim the Eagle Pointe lakeshore, and I hope to make some strides there.

OK, enough rambling thinking. (You see how mind works... It's an interesting place inside my head.) This morning I had a great bike ride on the course (cut 2:10 off Thursday's time) and a short but spirited little 20 minute run immediately following. Getting off the bike and right into the run is difficult, as your legs feel like they weigh about 180 pounds each, so I've been practicing that transition. My post-workout fuel of choice lately has been a smoothie I read about in Vegetarian Times and started making last week. Super yucky looking (it's GREEN) but very tasty and very chocked full of all the important post-activity stuff (protein, iron, carbs). If anyone is interested, you just boil about 5 oz. of fresh spinach until wilted, then throw it in an ice bath. Wring the water out of the spinach and toss into a blender with 3/4 cup apple juice. Blend. Then add 1/2 cup plain (preferably organic) yogurt and a dash or two of salt and blend again. This makes enough for about two smoothies, but if you save the extra until the next day, be sure to blend it again and maybe add another dash of apple juice before drinking.

After my ride & run this morning (and, of course, a smoothie and a shower) Gearry and I enjoyed the fruits of our shopping labor yesterday with our absolute favorite meal, which I am pretty sure I have blogged about a few times on here. Our "farmer's market" lunch included multi-grain baguette, fresh strawberries, sliced tomatoes, herbed goat cheese, honey, and Runcible Spoon Sumatra roast. AMAZING. If I could eat this every single meal for the rest of my life, I would be perfectly satisfied. Feel free to salivate., but please do not lick your computer screen.

Alright, I'm off to perhaps take a nap, perhaps work on my P540 reading, perhaps sit and stare at Indy cars going around and around in a circle for a bit. Then cookout this evening with my friends Catherine and Emily, and Emily's visiting friends from Michigan. Have a great one, people!