I've actually had several somethings to blog about, but haven't been able to make the time to do it. Here are a couple of the highlights:
First: Stepan and I had a fantastic time in Chicago for Leah's naval retirement during the first weekend in June. The ceremony was absolutely incredible. The MC really did a phenomenal job...my favorite part was the presentation of the flag. It was passed from the person of the least rank or the newest recruit up the ranks/senority until it was passed to Leah. Each person moved very slowly and precisely...it was a very stately presentation. The brass band was playing something patriotic and the MC was reading the poem Old Glory. Leah gave a lovely speech and Grandma was honored and presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I was extemely impressed by the whole thing and very proud of my Aunt Leah.
Second: The Danskin Triathlon was on June 13th this year. I was able to continue to enjoy participating with Team Danskin as a workout leader even though I didn't actually sign up for the race this year. The best part of being involved with this group of mostly first time tri-ers is seeing the transformation of the women from attitudes of "I can't believe I'm here" and "I'm terrified of the water" and "I just bought my first bike" to (on the day befor the race) "I'm so glad I did this" and "This experience has taught me so much about myself" and "I'm looking forward my next tri!" Being part of these trasnformations is so rewarding and inspiring. So congratulations to all of Team Danskin and to all my family members and their friends who participated.
We have found the best place to watch 4th of July fireworks in Austin!
After a wonderful dinner of brisket, dirty mashed potatos, and green beans at the O'Reilly home, we all went down to Town Lake for the fireworks show. Stepan and I took Logan and Homer in our car and headed down at about 8:15p. We debated the whole way down whether we should take the 15th St exit to avoid the traffic or the 5th/1st St. exits. We ended up on Cesar Chavez and found a perfect place to park by jumping the curb and parking beneath the pedestrian footbridge that is just east of Lamar. Turns out the pedestrian bridge is the best place for viewing the fireworks. It's situated smack dab between the two fireworks shows - one at Zilker Park and one at Auditorium Shores. The Zilker display started a little after 9:30p and the Auditorium Shores display started up as soon as the Zilker display was done. Since we were on the bridge, above Town Lake, we got to enjoy a very nice breeze and very few bugs.
The O'Reilly kids were enraptured. Nolan, who was on my lap, talked pretty much non-stop, commenting on each and every explosion. Logan just seemed awe-struck...I'm not sure he blinked once in the 30-45 minutes we were watching the fireworks. Unfortunately, Samantha (one of the O'Reilly dogs) did not enjoy the fireworks and loudly proclaimed her displeasure to one and all. Michael had to walk her back to the car...she apparently calmed down once confined.
Since Gracy (the other O'Reilly dog) doesn't get around very well, our perfect plan was to give her a ride to the O'Reilly car while Meredith walked there with the kids (Michael was already there with Samantha). Unfortunately, Stepan's car decided not to start. This was a problem he had a couple of weeks ago, but he did manage to get the car started and it has worked fine since then. No such luck this time. The O'Reillies drove to our car to pick up their dog. They tried to give us a jump start, but, again, no luck. They ended up taking Homer home with them and we ended up calling AAA for a tow truck. The 2-hour wait wouldn't have been terrible if I had access to a bathroom. It finally got so desparate that I had to find a bush and answer Nature's call actually in nature...I don't remember the last time I did that! or if I ever have! One thing I did learn was to pay close attention to the slope of the ground you micturate on. I didn't actually mark my own foot, but it was a close thing! Now Stepan's car is in the shop and will get a new starter and a new clutch.
Stepan and I completed out Hypnobirthing classes last week. I think we both got a lot out of them and we're really glad we chose this method for our birth prep. I especially am feeling more confident and more excited about the actual birth than I was previously. Part of my preparation includes listening to a 15-20 minute track of birthing affirmation every day until the birth. Here is a brief sampling of some of my favorites:
I see my baby smoothly moving down through my birth path.I drink lots of water. It's important for my baby and I to stay hydrated.
My baby's chin is tucked down for an easy birth.
I am filled with the sweet joy of pregnancy.
Anyway, while I was listening and repeating my affirmations today, I got to thinking that this positive reinforcement philosophy might do me good in other areas of my life. So instead of thinking, "I will not procrastinate", I will tell myself, "I will do the dishes after dinner".
The 9th Annual Wichita Falls Triathlon was this weekend. I swam for the relay team Lucio Inc., my brother biked, and my dad walked. My brother probably didn't have such a good time - he didn't train for the 15 mile bike, he didn't have the proper apparel (no padded shorts or seat), he didn't get his bike serviced before the race and hence did the whole 15 miles in 1st or 2nd gear, and he chose to stay up until 4am the morning of the race to play Everquest. On the other hand, my dad had a blast and is already talking about doing it again next year...maybe even doing the whole thing!
Kuddos to the rest of the family who participated this year: Kathleen got the first place trophy in her age group. Courtney placed third. The Karl Tigers (Tim, Felicia, and Catherine) came in 4th place in the relay division - soundly trouncing the Tri Team of Lucio Inc (see the above paragraph re: our biker). However, I personally think Lucio Inc should get extra points for having matching t-shirts. Meredith O'Reilly got first in her age group with an impressive time of 1hr 24min. Unfortunately, the race committee made an error on their spreadsheet and had her listed as a male competitor so her name was not called during the awards ceremony. The coordinator will be sending her trophy to her as soon as they can get it remade, but it still isn't the same and experiencing the joy and glory of being acknowledged a winner in a room full of athletes!
Lastly but not leastly, our tri experience would not have been complete without the presence of our devoted fans. Stepan did a fantastic job with his camera - one day he'll post most of the 170-odd photos he took. Uncle Matthew came out to cheer us on. The stepmothers were also well represented in Diana (mine) and Jan (Meredith O's). I hope they all had as much fun as the participants!
For posterity, here are the approximate times for Lucio, Inc.:
The Swim (300m by Jfer) - 8m 51s
The Bike (15miles by Danny) - 1h 22m 39s
The Run (5k by Dad who actually walked most of it) - 58m 22s
These times include transitions.
My biggest accomplishment of the weekend (and one I've told just about everybody I know about) was cleaning the shower curtain liner in the master bathroom. It was nasty...so nasty that even Stepan noticed that it was getting really gross. A lot of my friends said that they would just by a new liner. There's just too much of my dad in me to do that...especially since I tend to buy the $20 curtain liners - not the $5 ones!
Not the baby, but maybe the bellybutton. The other day I was sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning slightly forward, and rubbing The Belly. I felt a weird bump and looked down...horrors! Part of my bellybutton had started to protrude. I quickly sat up straight and pushed it back in, but not before Stepan saw it and was suitably weirded out. The button hasn't popped out since, but I'm thinking it won't be too long before I'm an outie.
To figure out how many potatos to cook when making mashed potatos, the rule states that you throw in one potato for every person you are cooking for plus an extra one "for the pot". Tonight I discovered that the exception to that rule is if you are making mashed potatos for only 2 people. Luckily mashed potatos keep fairly well in the fridge and we have enough for each of us to have a small serving on Sunday when we finish off our rotisserie chicken from Costco.