I DID IT!!!!!!!!! *insert dancing banana here!*

I am so excited! Actually...that is a lie. I am so TIRED!

But I did it!

The triathlon was this morning. I did the lake swim (250 meters), 10K bike (some nice hills!), and 3K run (well, walk!).

There were a lot of people there. They said there were 100 more people than they expected. It was a very nice day! But it made for very crowded bike corrals for the transitions, which slowed me down considerably.

The swim was pretty neat. I will post pics soon. But there was a beach area and a lake and we swam in 5 second intervals...but we all still ended up swimming together! Definitely different from swimming in the heated pool with my own lane.

The bike was very difficult for me. It was actually a nice hilly course, but I was hungry right before we started swim (not good!) and I was pretty low on "fuel" during the biking portion.

I eventually "ate" some hammer gel and got some calories in and finished the bike part strong.

Then to the "run"...I walked this. With my iPhone in my hand (don't tell!). The music was a lifesaver for me, because by this point, I was almost alone out there. The run portion was HARD...VERY hilly. I didn't even think we had hills like that in Jackson! It was intense. And it was actually a bit longer than 3K...there was a lot of space between the transition and walk and then the finish line that was not "part of the course"...

All things considered...I did it...finished! Learn some about what I should and should not eat. And will CERTAINLY post a better time next year!


GO ME!!!! :)

The Kitten

Lauren has been wanting a cat since...well, probably since she could talk. She has begged. She has pleaded. She has said things like, "But Mom! I can't actually PLAY with Scruffy (their dog)." "I just want something that can sit in my lap!" She has even played the, "But I work so HARD!" card...which usually gets Lisa's attention. Because Lauren DOES work very, very hard and deserves just about anything we can give her.

But...a cat has always been illusive.

Until now. I am not sure who hypnotized Lisa. Or who took her place for a few minutes? Maybe she took some sort of medication? Maybe Lauren just caught her in a very vulnerable moment. Who knows? But Lisa said YES!

Lauren's assistant at school (who is also named Lisa!) had some kittens. Ok, ok...LISA didn't have the kittens. Her cat had some kittens! And Lisa offered one to Lauren. Lauren gets her pick!

The cool thing about these kittens - is that they were born on Lauren's birthday! They also all have "chest straps." Let me explain. When Lauren is in her wheelchair, she can't stay upright without a strap that goes across her chest. So she has a chest strap that she "wears" pretty much all of the time. Well, these kittens all have "stripes" on their bellies...just like Lauren when she is in her chair! Of course, here she is actually sitting on the couch.





We took Lauren out of her chair and set her on the couch with a blanket and this sweet kitten crawled up in her lap. That sweet kitten has found a home!



Lauren gets to take it home after we return from a church trip in Chicago (more on that later).

Is that not the sweetest face you have ever seen?!?


In other news...my triathlon is this weekend! I am getting all of my stuff together and planning a long bike ride and walk tomorrow to help get ready, too!!