Monday

Morning!
So....a few things...

1) Thank you so much to all of you for your supportive words for Justin.  It makes his race wounds not hurt so bad.....well, not really...but you know what I mean.  He is always appreciative of the support!

2) Justin did so well for his first Full Ironman, and let me just say that he did it on 2 weeks of training...literally.  We don't recommend that method...but it just kind of worked out that way for him.  Participating in an Ironman race is not inexpensive, but the HITS Triathlon Series is trying to make them more accessible to people who are on a budget....like us.  The race staff was amazing, and so helpful.

3) Here is my workout for the day.  Your butt will thank you later, if you choose to follow along.



4) LOVING this project idea...

5) We are off to the Library!

XOXO

an Ironman story

Marble Falls, TX
Our weekend started out rather simple.
We all went to the pre-race meeting for the half and full Iron man participants.
Questions were answered....
"what do we do if there is lightening while we are out on the swim???"
"why is there no lane closure out on hwy 71??"
"will there be strippers??" (say what??? Oh, you mean people to strip you of your wetsuit....THOSE strippers. Gotcha.)

We went out to dinner and settled in for an early bedtime at the hotel.

Then morning came.
We dropped Justin off, told him good luck, and returned after the kids and I had eaten breakfast and packed up the hotel room.
We had just missed him in the transition area.

(watching some fire ants....just before said fire ants crawled in to his shoes and started to sting)

Thank goodness for Benedryl.

Our set-up for the day....

Seeking shelter in the shade as the temperature starts to climb.

Getting hot now....sweaty and humid and....."why are we here" hot.

Caught a glimpse of him at the halfway point (mile 56) on his bike ride

HUGS help.

And back out for 56 more miles of joy.

DONE.....with that part of it anyway.

Getting powered up for the marathon.

Why am I here?????

And we wait......

Attitudes start flaring after waiting all day....up at 5am......bad idea....

Running off those attitude problems....

AND....after waiting for 15 hours.....
He crossed the finish line.
He is an Ironman.

2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run.

And in my mind I had the camera ready to go...
to capture that ONE moment we had waited 15 hrs. for...
and I got this.

NICE.
Good thing there will be official race photos.

He has done it again.
Till' the next challenge, may you be inspired to try something new and seemingly impossible.
Even if it is giving up chocolate for a week, because the little things are ultimately the big things.
And even though I have shared this many times before....these men were Justin's inspiration.
And I kind of think they always will be.

'round here

We have been a bit busy.
Here is photographic evidence of such business...

dogs

babies

walks

flowers

 views

 smiles

 poses...always posing

 more flowers

sunset walks

and soccer...lots and lots of soccer

 practices

 happy dads

happy couples

happy boys

swarms of pink and purple

saves by Paige....she rocks as a goalie

really happy dads

 concerned moms (thanks paparazzi River)

and lots of hugs for Coach K

Life is incredibly good, and sometimes a day on the soccer sidelines is extremely good for your soul.
You get to see your community come out and support these precious children,
cheer each other on and build up their sense of self. 
I love being a soccer Mom, and in a few weeks I will become a swim Mom.
I am so thankful the Justin and I are able to provide these opportunities for our kids.
It is SO worth it.
xo, A
p.s. Riv scored 3 goals today....one for the other team!