June 5, 2003
Should I?
I've been reading a stranger's blog for over a year. According to her blog, she's getting married this weekend. I was able to locate her gift registry at William Sonoma....would it be too weird to send her a wedding present?
Update
I decided to go ahead and do it. The thought was there and it wasn't going to go away until I acted on it.
June 7, 2003
Ready...Set...
All is set for the Danskin Triathlon tomorrow. This morning, Mom and I were the first to arrive at the the Team Danskin breakfast. I mistakenly thought that we needed to be there early to help blow up balloons for the team members to use to mark their bike locations. Turns out we need to be there early tomorrow to help blow up the balloons...oops!
Despite our early arrival, we had a great time at the breakfast and expo afterwards. We were among the very first to get our bikes racked so we were able to get very convient spots in the transition area.
One of the "perks" of being a workout leader for Team Danskin this year was a comped race registration. I didn't realize until we checked in at packet pickup that this also meant that I would be placed in the wave with the "elite" athletes. On the one hand, this is a good thing because it means I'll be among the very first to start therefore among the first to finish so I can cheer on the rest of the team as they cross the finish line. On the other hand, it means I'll be among the first to start therefore I won't have the 45 minutes or so that I'm use to having to psych myself up for the swim start. Also, I have a fairly strong conviction that I'll be the last workout leader to cross the finish line...which isn't a terrible thing since it means that everybody else will be at the finish line to cheer me on :-)
Best of luck to Mom, LizzieBeth, Meredith O, and all those fabulous Team Danskin women...especially those who are experiencing their first triathlon!
Anyway. My race bag is packed. I'm as carbo-loaded as I'm going to get. And I'm ready for bed...and it's not even 9pm!
June 8, 2003
...Go!
I'm officially exhausted!
Mom and I got up around 5am and left the house at 5:50am to go to the triathlon. I was suppose to get there by 6am to help blow up and distribute balloons to the Team Danskin participants, but didn't end up getting there until 6:30am...just barely enough time to set up my transition area and find somebody to mark my body with my race numbers.
I was a bit intimidated at first when I thought about starting in the 2nd wave, but it ended up working out great! I finished in less than 2 hours (I'll post my official results tomorrow - or you can check out our times at Race Results). I was slower this year in every stage than I was last year, but that wasn't unexpected since I didn't train nearly as hard this year as last. I'm also about 10 pounds heavier this year...I guess marriage makes me fat and happy:-)
After I crossed the finish line, I was able to backtrack the run course to find Mom and cross the finish line a 2nd time. Then we backtracked again to find my co-worker, Lynn Wright, and my cousin, Elizabeth, and anybody else we recognized from Team Danskin. Around 11am, Team Danskin gathered for a group photo. I would have liked to stay to cheer on the final finisher, but the weather was threatening and Mom and Stepan were ready to leave.
One final note about being a workout leader: I thoroughly enjoyed my experience as a workout leader for Team Danskin. I would be honored and pleased to help out again next year. Loosing out on my own training time and adding minutes to my overall race time is definitely worth the spirit, pride, comeraderie, etc. that I got from helping these women accomplish such an awesome achievement.
Go Team Danskin!
June 13, 2003
Guess who's coming to dinner!
Okay, he may not actually be coming to dinner, but my brother will be in town all next week (Monday-Friday) on business. Austin may not be as exotic as some of the other places his job takes him (Puerto Rico, Canada, Austria), but I bet he'll have more fun here than he's had anywhere else. I'm looking forward to having him here.
Let it Rain
I think I mention the thunderstorms whenever they hit. I wish I could wax poetic about them though I'm very happy to settle on excerpting the following:
A Thunderstorm
by Emily Dickenson
The wind begun to rock the grass
With threatening tunes and low, -
He flung a menace at the earth,
A menace at the sky.
The leaves unhooked themselves from trees
And started all abroad;
The dust did scoop itself like hands
And throw away the road.
The wagons quickened on the streets,
The thunder hurried slow;
The lightning showed a yellow beak,
And then a livid claw.
The birds put up the bars to nests,
The cattle fled to barns;
There came one drop of giant rain...
June 15, 2003
Picture This
This was taken on a Nokia cell phone after Mom and I left the athletes' food tent after finishing the Danskin Triathlon (Nokia was one of the even sponsors). You can see the rest of the 500+ pictures taken that day here. Mom has provided links to our official race pictures on her blog. I've found pictures for Meredith O and Lynn W (my co-worker). I can't remember Elizabeth's bib number, but hopefully she'll link to her pictures on her own blog.
June 28, 2003
Bertha and Frank
Aside from a minor snafu at the airport (Stepan forgot I was married and booked my ticket in my maiden name...which no longer appears on any of my official identification), we made it to California on Friday in time to be awed by the gorgeous weather and entertained by the fruits of my cousin, Debbie's, efforts to convert her home into the perfect rehearsal dinner venue. The catered food was delicious. The backyard was festively decorated and easily accommodated the 50+ guests in attendance. We ate. We drank. We danced barefooted in the grass. It was the perfect setting for the Texans (the Lucios) to meet the Yankees (the Ganglianos).
Saturday dawned as another day in Paradise. It's really easy to see how so many people decided to move to the California coast and even easier to see how someone who didn't grow up with the heavy Texas heat and humidity would feel oppressed by it in the summer! But I digress...the wedding was in a beautiful church about 20 minutes from Casa Molina (aka Deb's house) at noon. Aunt Bertha looked stunning in a white, lacy sheath gown and carried a lovely arrangement of white and red roses. Aunt Helen and a long-time friend of Bertha’s (Marie?) were co-matrons-of-honor and Bertha’s granddaughter, Jordan, was a junior bride’s maid. All looked fabulous in their maroon ensembles which didn’t look too much like traditional wedding finery. One of Frank’s sons and his brother stood up with him. My cousins, Rick and Michael, were ushers and looked very handsome in their tuxedos. The ceremony was nice and short though there was some lively discussion afterwards about the first reading (a long, detailed summary of how a woman was to be a “good” wife…Meredith would have loved it!). Then the obligatory “after” photos which included a great (in color) shot of all the Lucios who were able to attend. Then on to the reception!
We had a wonderful time at the reception. The family I have inherited from my Dad is everything a family should be. They care a great deal about each other. They respect each other. They are all intelligent and witty. They know how to have a good time. And they are all great dancers…even the men! The very best part of this wedding for me was getting to dance with all of my uncles. And while I managed a passable two-step with Uncle Richard and Uncle Jesse, we cleared the floor when Uncle Henry and I got up to cumbia! All in all, a fantastic event!
Many thanks to my cousin Debbie for putting us up in her “Make You Own Bed and Breakfast” - Stepan and I are looking forward to the next time we get to crash there. And a multitude of best wished, congratulations, and tons of love to Aunt Bertha and Frank.