June 11. Taper. Indigo Girls. Brandi Carlile

The title above is no joke. When Mama T told me Brandi Carlile was coming back to town with the Indigo Girls @ Stubbs and for only $25....well, I decided to treat myself during the taper for Ironman. All the 6 months of hard work & I deserve something like this...so on a Wednesday evening I am going to enjoy some really amazing music and relax. Yup. That is what I am gonna do.

It's a good thing....

It's Friday, the end of my first week of much change. I am tired, but it's a good tired. The above picture are gifts for me on the first day of work at LAF. It's a good thing I like yellow!!! t-shirt, dri-fit shirt, flowers, manifesto poster, books, Nike shoes, Nike watch......GOODNESS!!! It is a great feeling when your work is excited the VERY FIRST day you get there! It is a good feeling to know that you are appreciated from the very start and that they believe you will do really good things with the program you have. It is a good thing when EVERY single person in the organization believes in what the foundation does and strives for excellence on every level. It is a good thing when you wake up in the morning you can't wait to get to your desk and make a difference in other's lives. It's a good thing.

I am excited for my weekend...I have a 6+ hour bike ride tomorrow and a 60 minute run. On Sunday I have a 2.5 hour run + I am going down to Auditorium shores to watch my Cap Tex kids rock the course!! It will be really good to see them all again! Monday is a holiday but only from work...I will do a 4 hour ride with Sammy on that day and get a good swim in. Next week is a hard work as far as the workouts go....4 weeks until I am an IRONMAN...YIKES!!

Lot's going on. Lot's to celebrate. Life is good.

OH!! And me and the boy are doing really great. I am very lucky to have someone like him in my life. Very lucky.

Words to live by....

"Well you see, Norm, it's like this . . . . a herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells.

Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster, and a more efficient machine. . . .
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. . . . . And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

Very Little Sleep

Reasons why last night was very restless for me:

new job today
empty space
stomach hurt
unsettled mind
unanswered questions
do you go with heart or with mind?
lot's of change
anxiety over Ironman
small workouts because of food poisoning
am I going to finish?

I am getting some coffee and food before heading to the offices at 930.

More reports on how the first day goes.

Thanks for all the support friends!

Poison...and I ain't talking about the band!!

Why I love some Bret Michaels and would much rather be blogging on Poison going on tour this summer...and the classics such as Every Rose Has its Thorn and the infamous Unskinny Bop (I have you wanting to dig out those CDs now, don't I?) That is NOT what the last 36 hours held for me.

I went out to eat at The Cheescake Factory on Wednesday Evening, returned home around 10:00 and by 1230 AM....my stomach was in much turmoil. Yes friends, food poisoning. I can't remember ever having food poisoning, and let me tell you, it is NOT fun. I stayed in bed all day and was not able to go to J&A's to work, and could not even keep water/gatorade down to hydrate myself. Amber T. came to check on me earlier in the day and then at 7, Sam came over to see how I was doing. I could barely even walk to the bathroom at this point because my legs were cramping so bad. Yes...it was time to go to the ER.

We arrived at the ER and my blood pressure was not in a good place and I was in pain as the cramping had now moved up my back. Yuck. I received some nausea medicine and an IV and by 1230 AM I was on my way back home after a very long day of discomfort.

Thankfully, when I awoke this morning I was much better. MUCH better. I was able to make my way to The Lance Armstrong Foundation to fill out paperwork and get my benefits package and now I am sitting in a coffee shop.

I will take it easy today but I really hope I can ride the bike tomorrow. Cause I need to get in the MILES this weekend.

I am going to try and swim this afternoon....

Food Poisoning=No Fun.

Times Two

My lovely boyfriend washed his clothes twice. Yes, in one washer and then in another washer.

They will be super clean.

Life Goes On

Oooh, life goes on, and it's only gonna make me strong
Its a fact, once you get on board say goodbye 'cause you can't go back
Oooh, it's a fight, and I really wanna get it right
Where I'm at, is my life before me, got this feeling that I can't go back

OR

Oh bla di oh bla da life goes on bra
La la how the life goes on
Oh bla di oh bla da life goes on bra
La la how the life goes on

Either one of these song lyrics will work for what the last few days have been. Sometimes life is hard and sometimes you wake up feeling as though you were kicked in the face (and this was WITHOUT the influence of alcohol) but in the end...LIFE GOES ON and I am much stronger than any bitch that will try to tear me down. Much stronger.

Rest assured that in the end.....it all comes back, full circle.

Next week is a new job and so many positive things on the horizon. One month to my Ironman friends!

I think I will go for a run.

Gotta Get Back

It was a great weekend, lot's of emotion, good racing, great weather, Northern California, my final TNT event....my mind kept going back to you and then as my iPod was on shuffle on the flight back from San Jose....Shelby's song came on and the lyrics were exactly how I was feeling...

I can almost touch you now
flying above the clouds
in a big ol' plane
I can't wait to hold you and see you again
tell you where I've been

I can almost kiss you now
when I close my eyes I feel your
lips on mine
it's so hard to fight what I
feel inside, for you

Gotta get back do I do
Gotta get back do I do I do
Gotta get back do I do
Butterflies take control me
why's this airplane go so slowly
Flutter faster take me home to you

I can almost see you now
is my imagination foolin' me somehow
flying through the lining of a silver cloud
I'm gettin' closer now

I can almost hear you now
oooh saying you love me
like you know how
I wish this plane would just reach down and
touch the ground
I swear I see you now

It was great getting to the airport, seeing you waiting and then a smile.

yeah...it's that bad friends. It's that bad. You can all vomit now.