Everyone is Training

Hi KK,


I feel like 91% of my free time is training for this triathlon, and it is wearing me out.  I keep wondering How do people train like this on a regular basis and for even bigger events?  Seriously, I have been training for 2 1/2 weeks and I am exhausted.  I am ready to quit.   Not quit the triathlon, just the training.  


I have been waking up early for swimming, biking after Big D gets home from work, and trying to run with the boys in the stroller.  When the end of the day comes, I am exhausted.  No time for blogging, email, reading, projects, etc.  I do find time to eat.  I reward myself for all of my training with coconut pie, chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, pudding, chocolate milk and more.  It makes it all a little better and I definitely deserve the calories.


Tonight we decided to get the boys in on the swimming.  We filled up the tub and put on their life jackets for a swim.  Baby Cub loved it and T Bear practiced his newly acquired swimming skills.  Our bathroom floor was soaked from all the splashing.  


Despite my complaining, I am looking forward to the triathlon.  My biggest problem right now is that I have a zit on my back that I need you to pop.  (That is a mandatory sister duty.)  This is a result from too much sweating and sports bra wearing. 


Wow - that paragraph should be labeled TMI.  


-Miss Triathlon in Training

Divisibles of 24

Hey Miss T,

Thank you for the birthday Vlog. All of my roommates gushed with me over how adorable T-bear is. I did have a great day, and I thought I'd share a little bit about it with you.

24: The number of volleyball shots I did NOT block or send back over the net. It just wasn't my night to be the star athlete, but what a perfect night to have rough go at sports, because when you are the birthday girl you get two shots for free!


12: How many pieces of advice that I got from my friends. I wanted three things from this party: pictures, dancing, and advice on how to be good at being 24. One says "Don't act like who you are. And don't do drugs. Ever..." I'm still trying to figure that first phrase out a little. Another good one says "Be cool. Be smart. Don't give up. Cry often. Don't break anything. Smile. Go to Idaho. Be happy. Don't sniff things. Get to 25." I think I'll take that one.


8: Or 1/8 of a birthday burger that I could not finish eating. The food was soooo good, but man I was full. B-twon worked that grill!


6:Buddies from my mission that came! They said Hauoli la hanau and brought me lihing mui pineapple. YUM. Picture includes all buddies that were present at the time of the photo.


4: 4 Onion rings. I at 4 delicious onion rings! Onion rings, made by my cousin Caitlin. If you are going to bring something to a BBQ, then why the heck not blow everybody's expectations and bring onion rings!?! She told me you can youtube how to make them. Awesome. We are the generation of education by youtube and wikipedia.


3: Layers of chocolate birthday cake. K-rave made the most delicious 3-layer birthday cake EVER. It was like the Great Wall of China cake from PF Chang's. MMmmmm.


2: Nephews who were clearly happy to be at my party. (Wish there could have been two more there!)

1: Birthday banner that got left on the fence at the park over the weekend...and it rained. Oops.



Now I am 24, clearly out of my prime of 23, but looking ahead to what this year of life will bring. I love how you told me that you still feel like you are 24, and so this is the age I will probably feel like for a long time. That is great news because so far I love it!

Any advice you want to give me about being 24? Or just living a good year of life? I'm open. Hit me back.

Love, Kk

BIrthday Vlog

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KK!!!!

Here is our Vlog:



Hope you have a wonderful day!  (plus a big happy birthday to your twin bro Jose - thanks for being a supporter of our sisters blog Jose)

Eat my dust Finals!

Recognize this poster?

I've left this up all spring term actually, and now I'm ready for it again. Today is the last day of spring classes, and Wednesday and Thursday are FINALS days.

I am soooo ready for finals to eat my dust! I'm planning on blazing through Statistics and Management Communications so that I can get on with summer. I'm going to run and run and run...in the mountains in the sun. :D Hooray.

Thank you Miss T and Kathy for sending me this encouragement. You don't even know how much it means--what a big difference something small can make.

T Bear

KK-


Two stories about T Bear today.


1. On Thursday I met my friend at Green Lake for a workout before our boys' swimming lesson at the community center.  At one point along the lake, we let the boys out of the strollers to play.  Since we were near the lake, I made some boundaries of where they could play and could not play.  I told them I didn't want them to fall in the water.  T Bear looked at me seriously and said, "Why?  I can swim."


I feel like I have paid for a false sense of security with the swimming lessons if my 3 yr old thinks he can swim.  I quickly made a new family rule, that an adult needed to be in the water first for him to swim.  Hopefully that will do the trick for awhile.


2.  Big D usually leaves for work before the boys wake up.  However this morning, he decided to catch a later bus, and was around while the boys and I were eating breakfast.  T Bear heard Big D getting ready to leave for work, stopped eating his oatmeal, and yell to Big D, "You didn't kiss me!!! Don't leave daddy, you didn't kiss us!!!"


It was so sweet.  Both Big D and I will take any opportunity to kiss our boys right now while they will let us.  It reminded me of an article I read yesterday about a Dad going out and waving to his high school son's bus everyday.  It was humiliating, but the son knew his Dad loved him.  Read article HERE.


I hope T Bear knows how much we love him.


-Miss T

R: I Will Read

Central Library, Seattle

KK -

Remember what the R stands for in Cutler?  I will read.

It's time to get your "reading" on.  Libraries have started their Summer Reading Programs.  We signed up today.  In Seattle, they even have babies sign up for the program.  If you read them 10 books, then they get a new board book as a prize.  T Bear was so excited about getting his reading card to fill out.  We came home and read 10 books in one sitting.  T Bear even "read" 5 books himself.  His favorite is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

There is even a Summer Reading Program for adults.  I know you are busy, but maybe reading text books can count?  I am hoping to get some good reading done this summer.  Any recommendations out there?

I have to admit that reading books to my boys is one of my most favorite things I do as a mother.  I love having them curled up on my lap, reading to them wonderful books.  Oh, it is just as good as eating a whole bowel of chocolate ice cream.

Here's to your Summer Reading Program!

-Miss T

Training Time

KK


So you called me tonight and asked me what was going on in my life.  I told you, not much.  We are just enjoying the beautiful weather right now.


Well, there is something going on in my life: TRAINING FOR THE TRIATHLON


The triathlon I am doing is in less than 4 weeks.  I figure it is time to start really training for it (better late than never!)  We have been packing the boys in the bike trailer and stroller to take them out with us on bike rides and runs.  I am going to start getting up early in the morning to go swim laps.  


We had a date night last Saturday.  Want to know what we did?  We went running and biking.  Never thought I would go on a date like that before. I said it would only count as a real date if we got ice cream afterward.  And we did.


Big D is still hoping I will "hire" him as my trainer, but I am very reluctant.  I don't want a traditional trainer, I just want an encouraging-supportive-loving-understanding-motivational-not-pushy-or-competitive-helper.  If Big D can be a trainer like that, then he is hired.  I have a suspicion that he will become employed very soon.


Basically, that is what is going on and what will be going on for the next 3 1/2 weeks. 


Wish me luck!  Do you want to come do it with me?  Anybody else want to join?


-Miss T

Tips for Mosquito Season.

Hey Miss T!

Mosquito season is coming. Has it gotten to you yet? The other day I had a really itchy leg and I thought "OH NO! Do I have a mosquito bite?!?" Turns out, it was just an itch, thank heavens. However, it did remind me that with summer, and camp-outs, and ponds, and rivers, and rain come those nasty little buggers we call mosquitoes.


Remember how Big D isn't the only one loving you in McCall? McCall is just loaded with mosquitoes...

So today when my stats professor told us about a study on mosquitoes, my ears perked right up. It helped that he asked, "Hey do you want to know how to get bit more by mosquitoes?" He then told us the three significant factors that seem to increase mosquito bites:

1. Higher body temperature (whew! I'm pretty safe on that one...I'm always cold)
2. Wearing dark clothes (now that's a good one to know)
3. Drinking beer (nope, no problem there either)

So I thought I'd pass the tip along to one and all. If you want less mosquito bites this summer, avoid those three things.

Love,
Kk

Still Growing Bigger

Auntie KK -


Today Baby Cub is 7 months old.  Time is flying by.  The shocking part is that I am having to buy him 18 month sized clothing.  I can't believe it.  By the time he is 2 year old, he will be wearing Big D's clothes.


What is the deal with that?


-Mommy Miss T