Oooh...aaahh...Dingoes Dodging Fireworks in July! - Page 2

[Shantimama]

Too tired to do much more than show my face here right now. I slipped on a wet floor at work yesterday and hurt both wrists again - so frustrating. Had them checked out and nothing is broken but I hurt from head to toe most of the time these days. I just keep reminding myself why I took this job and that at least I am active all day long and that makes me a Dingo  ds is seeing a paediatric neurologist next month which is great.Juts got his report card and even with the relentless seizure activity through this past semester, he still made the honour roll! His marks aren't as high as he is used to but I think it is an important life lesson to him that it isn't all or nothing. I am so grateful for my amazing kids. My heart aches more than my wrists and feet these days so it is good to have them as reminders of how good life can be no matter what else is going on.

[JayGee]

Shanti - I am so happy to hear that you got an appointment for your DS. Hopefully the ped. Neurologist can shed some light on the seizures. Sorry life is so stressful fight now and I hope your wrists feel better.

Jooj - yay! A wedding! How exciting (and awesome of your DH to propose!)

Plady - whoa! Hopefully Bobcat will stand by their product.

MelW - you sound like you were one hard core 5 year old!

Tjsmama - I am trying to imagine that diving save with cup in hand!!!!

RR - week 3 of C25k is done !

NRR - we are headed to Bloomington, IN for the weekend. Hello, IU outdoor pool, Brown County SP, and an elk burger from Bubs!!! In other news, DD2 capped her week by passing the deep water test at the base pool yesterday (swim 50m without stopping, and tread water for a minute). That girl is just amazing us this summer!

[sparkletruck]

Jo - How fun What about thrift/vintage/antique stores for wedding stuff - maybe some lace or some such fabric for a veil or wrap (could be the white), dried flowers? Could you make it a potluck? Would it be too buggy to spread table cloths on the grass and have an outdoor, floor meal? Any friends play instruments? Assigned readings (Islamic?)

Shanti - My heart aches for you, to be so worn thin, and still relishing the "goods" You have an amazing spirit mama Congrats to ds

JG - sounds fun Isent it amazing how much difference a year can make!

Plady - I hope the tractor thing gets resolved fairly (and cheaply)! And that you are able to sustain a satisfying level of activity during the break from boxing!

Melw - for true summer!

RR:.................

NRR:..............grumble, grumble, bleh.........

[babybugmama]

I'm here...I can't seem to keep up.  But I love you mamas and think about you every single day.  Whether it's Kerc, Geo, Jo, Bec, tjsmama, shanti, drjen, jenlove, jaygee, Nic, Plady, Sparkle, Mel, so many more....

Jo that sounds so sweet. I can't wait to hear the ideas and hear about the finale'.

Shanti - hug, hug, and another hug.

I'm doing this 5k tomorrow morning: http://www.michaelshousecac.org/documents/5KRegistrationForm-2012.pdf, it's to support children and families in abuse situations.  I have no idea how fast/slow I will run it. I haven't done a race in a long time without dd. So I honestly have no idea what to expect. Wish me luck, the heat will be in the 90's already at 9am, rising to +100 by mid-day.

[mommajb]

tjsmama, it sounds like you are having so much fun at kickball! Good job keeping hold of that cup.
jo, the proposal and wedding is beautiful. I know you have mentioned your marriage contract before but knowing that hewants to continue and renew his vows and throw a party to celebrate it all is :joy:joy
MelW enjoy that sun.
Plady, I hope the boxing break gives you breathing room this summer and that you are ready for it in the fall. Good Luck with the tractor.
Shanti, I am glad you are making progress with your son's referral. He is learning hw to live with less than perfect and still doing well. I hope you get a lucky break and feel better soon.
JayGee, Enjoy B-Town! I'll be back in IN in August and it had better cool off first!
Hugs sparkle.
BBM, isn't it interesting how much the varied dingo wisdom rings true and pops into one's head during the day? So much more here than I realized when I first posted years ago. Good Luck with your race!

Another busy day of driving people around, applying sunscreen, picking them up, and feeding them. Rinse (with a bit of shampoo) and repeat. I wouldn't trade it for much but there are things I might add to the routine.

[babybugmama]

and mommajb!

I'm actually feeling nervous for the race this morning.  I think I've been hiding behind dd...which wasn't going to last much longer anyway.  I did track thursday night and these 9 year olds were whooping my butt!  Someone very wisely told me, 'don't live in the yesterday, live in the moment.' So true, and yet so hard when once upon a time you may not have been a speed demon, but you were at least a speed gremlin.

Little man passed his swim test yesterday to be able to go into the deep end. I swear it was by sheer will power. How he got 25m from one end to the other with some frankenstein doggy paddle/crawl thing is beyond me.  I have always said he doesn't have a guardian angel, but a troop of them!

Alternatively dd is frustrated at the pool because I have to be on him like stink on skunk. He's overconfident and therefore dangerous.  She wants me to be able to play with her, and that's hard to do at the pool.

gg, ds waking up.

[sparkletruck]

So here is a pic of DD2 coming into the home stretch on her very first Tri. (the pics of the other two kids didnt come out as well)...

It was fun... cold. Mom and Dad are We are having two sleepovers tonight, a friend of dd1 and a friend of ds. Good thing we have so much energy

[babybugmama]

So it was a really small 5k, less than 100 people participating, 1/3 of them walkers.  It was hotter than blazes! The first two miles weren't too bad, hot...but the last mile was awful!  I got 9th overall, 4th in women, 2nd in my age group.  My time was about 27:15.  I suspect my last mile was mid-upper 9 mm pace.  My phone conked on me so I have no idea what my splits were.  I can't believe how much water I lost.

Awesome sparkle!

[1jooj]

Argh, cant get the photo to load, sparkle. But I think it's awfully cool.

And bbm, what to say? You rock.

I went to an awesome bicultural wedding tonight and got to see tons of my peeps from the local Muslim community. Missed them badly, so this was sweet. And had compliments showered on me and the cherry on top came from the father of the groom, not someone I'm particularly close with, but whose family I love dearly. Just made my long-ass day. 

Plus, there was good food for me and black coffee and plenty of ice in the water. I can't complain.

Another long-ass day tomorrow starts in 7 hours with a walk outside with one of those folks I have not seen in a long time, who happens to be staying around the corner from where I am staying. Then a brunch, then a movie with family, then I tip over around 8pm.

[tjsmama]

jo~I love that your DH wants a wedding! That is so sweet!

sparkle~I can't see the photo either, but I love that your DD did a tri. Awesome!

bbm~ Woot, woot! Way to go, mama!


We've had a couple of busy days. Squeezed in some workouts, lunches out, hanging with friends, etc. We had a happy hour at one of DS's kindy classmates' house yesterday that ended up lasting much longer than anticipated, at least in part due to the appearance of our friend, tequila. Mommy may have had to sober up before we could drive home.

rr~4.5 miles yesterday on my normal route from home. I felt ok, even though I'm waaaaaay out of shape. I felt pretty strong, just slow. Well, until the last .5 mile or so, when I kind of crapped out. I ran another 4.5 miles this morning with the Dash and Dine group. I felt much better today, although still way slow. I didn't poop out on the last .5 mile, even managed to pick it up and drop my pace the last 1.5. Maybe there's hope it will come back pretty quickly. I sure hope so...

[MelW]

BBM, awesome run in the heat.

jo, congrats on the proposal. We did a potluck for our wedding, and it was a nice to have the collaboration in the celebration from family and friends. I think you'll have a great time whatever however you choose to celebrate.

sparkle, congrats to your kids on the tri. Good luck with the sleepovers- I hope you get some rest!

plady, I hope your tractor is fixed soon. We cross posted the other night (because it takes me an hour of alternately typing and rotating sprinklers around the garden to actually post something)

gaye, I bet the running gets progressively easier for you. I'm always impressed with how well you do with limited training time!

Shanti, hoping for quick healing for your wrists. You are so, so strong!!

JayGee, have a great trip!

RR- Yesterday started with lawn mowing, then dropping the kids to grandma's for a quick run with my husband (his first since the mountain biking leg injury last month- so just a nice slow 30 minutes), then various errands around town and the afternoon at the beach with my first ocean swim of the year. Today was more mellow with just some yardwork, despite my best intentions for a run.

NRR- My youngest is still really struggling with allergies, especially now that the nice weather is here. She is in love with being outside in the sunshine and we had plans for another beach day this afternoon but by lunchtime her arms and legs were covered in a rash and we changed plans for Benadryl, a trip to the library and and quiet afternoon at home. Even she recognized that she was feeling bad and that playing at home was a better idea. I'm trying not to be too down about it and will need to be strategic about our outside play time- better at keeping her covered, staying on top of meds and trying to pace outside/inside time. The beach should theoretically be better because she's not on the grass, but all of the sunny days come with higher pollen counts :(
 

[Realrellim]

Originally Posted by tjsmama 

I have a reservation at the "T-bird Motor Inn"...at nearly $200 a night. According to tripadvisor.com, it's "meticulously clean"...it better be for that rate!

It's probably worth it, especially when it's not a chain. Our experience out East is that the pricey places tend to be *much* nicer than the cheap ones. Remember my experience with the hotel with no heat? And more recently, a hotel that had heat in the rooms, but not in the hallways and big gaps under the door that we had to plug with our coat?[/quote]

1jooj--sounds like a mostly good time at the cabin, and the wedding sounds fun. I think. Honestly, we would have eloped given half the chance. I still would, provided I wanted to get married to the same person (or anyone) again....

Geo--yeah, I'll take heat over humidity any day.

Shanti--hope your wrists recover quickly and that your body gets used to the feeling of being on the move. You might want to try different shoes if you have the chance, though they'll likely be tired at the end of the day no matter what.

JayGee--hope you had fun in Bloomington.

Nick--

BBM--hope your 5k rocked!

Hello to everyone else! I am thankful that after more than a week of not reading, I wasn't 20 pages behind!

RR: two races!
June 30: Run for Independence 5M with the family in Winter Park, in 50:36.
We do this every year and this would have been R's debut as a runner except for the broken arm. She's still in a long-arm cast because it's healing slow (*hopefully* she'll get to move into a short-arm cast on Tuesday, 5-1/2 weeks after she got the long-arm one). So, I was pushing the double jogger again. R ran a little at the beginning, a little in the middle and a little at the end to cross the finish line. Good enough, right? As usual, we ditched Paul in the last mile and left him to fend for himself. Also, I really needed to pass the woman on these weird bouncy shoe things, and the couple with the jogger who'd passed me up earlier (and yes, I did, and gave us enough space that even with R running they couldn't catch up). Ha! :evil
Here's us after the race: http://www.ear2earphotobooths.com/events/249/photos/26269

July 7: Middle Park Half Marathon, 1:58:28
My official time is about a minute slower, because see, I didn't quite make it there as quickly as I hoped and despite running for the start line with three others, we started about a minute after they did. Originally I thought we were only 30 seconds later, but apparently not. It didn't help that my alarm didn't go off and I'd been sitting there having nightmares about missing the race.... Of course, neither does the fact that the start line is a good half-mile from the finish line. Anyhow, I did manage to get dressed and comb my hair and sort of eat breakfast before racing off to Granby, parking half-way between the start and finish, and then running. And the adrenaline probably did me good, because I finished 2 minutes faster than last year. Needless to say, I was really focused on passing people. This was the race where I won second in my age group last year (which, as I've said before, was luck of the draw). It really was because despite my faster time, the person who won 3rd in the F30-39 had a time of 1:52 something crazy fast, and the person who was first in our age group was also the woman who very nearly won the race outright. She finished 20 seconds behind the man who won the race, but it sounded like it was neck-in-neck until the last stretch. She had a time of 1:36 something. At any rate, I'll know more once I see the results, and I'll post a full report then.

NRR: Great week in the mountains overall, despite the fires. And wonderful news: it RAINED in Granby on Thursday night, Friday night, and again tonight!!! Lots and lots of beautiful, desperately needed rain. There's some flooding and such, but it's really good news. And the fires seem to be mostly under control now. Also, I am very grateful to the citizens of Grand County for foregoing all fireworks. It's the first time I've not heard so much as a single pop the entire day (and week!).

[Dmitrizmom]

mommajb - doing a 5k with kids sounds like so much fun. Wish I could get my kids interested. LOL.  And glad that you got the swim lessons thing worked out.
Geo - 5:45... zzzz is right!
Lisa - burned out your treadmill?! Wow. I think you should contact the manufacturer and offer to be a tester!
Nick - ohhh - tester for shoes? cool! (and I love having 16 yo moments)
MelW - glad that the ankle seems to be holding up.
Plady - dang crows, but woot! to the chickens for finding new hiding spots. and um... how does a tractor break in half? sounds like a defect to me.
Kristina - congrats on sticking with the c25k
Gaye - wish you had video of the diving catch! and yes, a once in a lifetime trip.
Jo - a wedding sounds like so much fun! so sweet! love the ideas the other dingos have offered up so far.
Shanti - glad for sooner appointment for your ds. Wish that you were feeling better and hope that your wrists don't give you too much trouble.
bbm - I had to laugh about being passed up by the 9 yos. My dd (who will be 9 in 3 weeks) can lap me badly enough that I feel like I'm standing still. Awesome job on your 5K.

it is 3:30 in the morning here. My sleep is rather fractured tonight as I am both excited and terrified by my tri (which starts in just over 4 hours!).  I have an hour drive to get there when I do "get up" for the day.  Bike is already strapped to the back of the car, helmet in the front seat. clothes laid out (I'm wearing a compression tank top and bike shorts - both of the quick dry variety), 1/2 my water bottles filled and chilled.  I'm going on my own. family has no interest in coming down to cheer me on, friend that was going to go injured her knee and can't make it.  Mostly bummed about lack of cheering section because I won't have any pictures. stupid, I know.

Hope everyone has a great day.
 

[1jooj]

Go, Dmitrizmom! Have a super tri! Gun should be going off right about...now! 

Dingo cheering section:

And you get special props for doing it on your own.

Real, you look so awesome in the photos. Running so clearly agrees with you.  And I wish the first-place woman could have had the turbo boost to take the overall first-place finish. Maybe next time. And thank Goodness Gracious for all that rain. I hope the fires are soon over and out, and all is well in CO. And I guess, at a certain point, fear is an effective deterrent? When it comes to not using fireworks? At any rate, a fire-free Fourth is good news.

MelW, are there other antihistamine options, or does Benadryl do fine when she has a flare? Presumably, it dopes her, yes? I sure do hope she outgrows it. I love that you aren't taking on the anxious/fearful mindset that I think I would be battling, spreading the allergy concept throughout every aspect of life. You are awesome.

Gaye, that mileage doesn't indicate "way out of shape."  Your bar is set pretty high.

I have a place in mind where we'd have the party. My mom has already flat-out said, "I'd offer you the farm, but." Obviously I would find a different space. Which is great because I don't need the talons in the party. I've seen how that can work. I want to talk to this guy. And I have a friend who plays bluegrass with her husband. And here's the style I'd like to approach: rustic/vintage/shabby. I am thinking potluck pie/bar/dessert table, local apples in baskets on tables, and boots and barn jacket with a white-ish dress. I can get food catered without too much trouble, I think. Big Qs are the dates, so that I can secure the venue. If not this farm, I have one other option, maybe. Otherwise, there are local park shelters that might work. It's just a party with a short "program," so it will stay low-key. I have two close friends and a sister on the case, and I am hoping Reb will be well enough to photograph it, because this would be one (rare) wedding she would like to do. Sounds like it's in the bag, right? Except I need to secure that space. 

Having coffee now, then suiting up and heading out. My friend has not called, so I assume they stayed late at the wedding and she is tired, and that's fine. I can run if I go alone. She is recovering from being hit by a car several months ago, so obviously, this would have been a stroll, anyway.

[sparkletruck]

We eloped, although we told our parents first. Thinking about it now, I would be so sad to miss my kids' weddings, but it was really right for us. We were already married in my mind (one kid and one on the way) so the ceremony was an acknowledgement of that, rather than the other way around. We planned it in 3 weeks (sort of decided, hey lets do it now, b/c we were in CA for a rotation and we realized we'd like to marry in Yosemite), bought everything in little shops near my parents house. I found a thrift/vintage dress that fit over my 5 mos. baby bump but still looked sleek, we both wore Tevas, and DD1 was the flower girl. Two friends drove up from Oakland early in the morning to meet us in the meadow we had chosen as the sun was flooding it. I made a bouquet of dried flowers - that I still have. Anyway, it was inexpensive, meaningful, and just right. I love the potluck idea Jo

Go DM

real - Hooray for rain. We have been getting dumped on and I love it Well done on the races!

RR:..........

NRR: I really need to go to the Yahoo group. Things are HARD, and Im not sure if its hormonal (if it is, this is a doozy of a PMS stretch; Im due in a few days, I think), or if any of my gripes are founded in something valid (of course they are, but to what degree). I am a martyr. Ive known this for awhile, but it has really hit hard lately. The things that used to bring me a circuitous dose of satisfaction, dont really lately/anymore? Instead, resentment and hostility are building, but I dont know how to make a change without throwing all the balls into the air and creating a lot of strife. If I am going to create strife, I feel like I better know exactly how I feel, and as usual, I dont have a good sense of how much is my problem (as in, I made the bed, so...), how much is even really as bad as I currently feel it is, and how much I want changed and in what way. I have gained a lot by choosing the partner I did, but I gave up a lot too, and Im starting to feel like the parts I gave up are the parts I most respected about myself

[Dmitrizmom]

I made my primary goal of completing my tri! 

I made my secondary goal of doing it in less than 3 hours.

I made my tertiary goal of finishing in less than 2.5 hours (I think by 8 minutes!).  I'll know for sure once they have times up.

Y'all - it was awesome! 
 

[tjsmama]

Congrats, Dimitrizmom! Are you hooked now? What distance did you do?

real~As usual, you rocked the house. Way to go, sister!

Originally Posted by 1jooj 

Gaye, that mileage doesn't indicate "way out of shape."   Your bar is set pretty high.

Yeah, but the thing is that my marathon is 17 weeks from TODAY, and according to the training plans I've been looking at (because, while I definitely am not really in shape enough or have the time for an intermediate or advanced plan)...even the beginner plans had me running AT LEAST 6 miles this weekend. I'm looking at Higdon's Intermediate 1 plan and ditching one of the runs to make it 4 days a week instead of 5. There is just little to no chance I can do 5 days a week. Heck, even 4 is going to be stretching it, but running a marathon on 3 days a week might be a little crazy.

rr~A really nice ride with a girl from my Courage Classic team this morning. We did one of my fav rides in the front range (Deer Creek Canyon/Highgrade Rd). The weather was iffy, which kept a lot of the traffic (both cyclists and drivers) off the roads. It was perfect for climbing...cool, overcast, and ever-so-slightly misty. The descent, on the other hand was a bit chilly and wet! The cloud ceiling was so low that we were literally IN the clouds at the top! We thought about doing the loop for a few extra miles, but like I said...we were IN the clouds, and it wasn't so pleasant. 27.5 miles, half straight up, and the other half straight down.

[Plady]

Sparkle - That does sound like a heavy load you're hauling.  Maybe a good long laying-it-out on Yahoo would help you start to organize thoughts in a way that you might find some options you aren't seeing right now?

DMZmom - Hope you're having a great time in your tri!      Bummer about the lack of a cheering section (at least IRL) but that's what those race photographers are there for!  And, if you don't have anyone at the sidelines you also don't have anyone impatient to leave the minute you cross the finish line, so I hope you can take advantage of the post-race food and fun. 

JG - Sounds like my kind of playdate!

Jo - I love the farm idea!  I hope it works with your dates.

BBM - Whoa!  I think you can still consider yourself a speed demon!

Real - I just love thee image I have of you picking off other runners and blowing by them with your DOUBLE STROLLER.  You totally rock!

Shanti - Hoping that you catch a breather somewhere, somehow and soon. 

MelW - Poor dd!  That is just the height of injustice to finally get this weather and have it turn into an allergen! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, we can see that this didn't go out in a timely fashion!

Dmzmom - Congratulations!  How awesome to smoke past all those goals!  When's the next one?

[mommajb]

sparkle, I can't view the pic but I am guessing it is better than sitting on the sidelines with a bucket! So sorry things are hard. I hope you head over to yahoo because the dingos always have the best advice or commiseration. Usually many of us share the concerns in our own lives.

BBM, great job and in that heat!

jo, well deserved compliments are a good thing. I hope you can settle on dates and that your dh's travel plans don't cause you to have to pick a second date.

gaye, you are right on time with your training. You will do this.

melW, I have so many reactions as an adult that I did not have as a child. Mine do include the sun since 1998 but the hives are worse when I have stress/systemic imflammation. Kudos to you and your daughter for all you are dealing with and staying so upbeat (mostly) and strong about it.

Great job smashing even your own ideas of what you can do Dimitrizmom!

Great race photos real. You are a racing queen! You even run to your races.

ME: Part of our move was that I would say no when opportunities did not fit my needs or at least the family's needs. I have way overextended myself again. Also, while I meet people and see them on a repeat basis I do not feel a real connection. I am not sure what I expect but I am both busy and lonely.
I owe my friend a huge thank you because her call on the half has me running consistently and caring about what I eat again. I have cut sugar, limited coffee (to 3 cups a day!), and am sneaking up on whole30. The sugar thing has made a huge difference.

[MelW]

Dimitrizmom, congrats on an awesome tri and surpassing your three goals!!

Sparkle, big hugs. I can relate far too much right now. I was thinking about a big old yahoo vent, too.

Real, congrats on awesome races. The race to the start of the half sounded stressful!

Jo, I love your wedding ideas. We had a small October beach wedding with about 30 guests and potluck (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner. It was a six week engagement- my mum had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and my family really needed a positive reason to get together. There are some things I would change (more personal vows, maybe more music/readings) but overall feel like it was a fun and inexpensive celebration. I love hearing about all the dingoes weddings!

Gaye, it sounds like a busy schedule to fit in Marathon training with your tri and courage classic training!

My run this morning was cancelled because of the discovery of a water leak coming through the dining room from the kid's bathroom upstairs. Last night I replaced the fill valve on the toilet during bath time, and plumbing is NOT a good thing to multitask at. The ceiling is drying and the insurance company will assess it tomorrow, so fingers crossed for not needing to replace anything.

This afternoon we hit the beach and I got a bit too much sun. I'm do focussed on getting kids protected that I often forget to put on my sunscreen. It's been four sunny days in a row. I could get used to this summer weather...