Need a Good Cry?

I've been checking my friend Kelley's site several times a day for the last few days, and the comment trail has led to people talking about crying, and how it cleanses the eye (and the soul) to at times have a good cry. I was thinking about the last time I had a good cry, and though I can't remember the exact date as it was awhile ago, it was in the evening as I was flipping through channels. The movie "Stepmom" with Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon was in its last half hour, and I had to watch. The premise of the show is that Julia Robert's character hooks up withSusan Sarandon's husband (Ed Harris,) and though the divorce between Ed Harris and Susan Sarandon was mutual, Sarandon is still jealous of his relationship with Roberts, and she also uses the two kids as a weapon against both Harris and Roberts. However, Sarandon finds out in the middle of the show that she has terminal cancer, and through Roberts perserverance and Sarandon's acceptance of her fate, they all come together for a very emotional ending.

I thought tonight I would list a few other tearjerkers in my book for those out there who need to cleanse their eyes:

1. Beaches. The first movie I saw in a theatre where I literally could not control my sobs. I saw this movie with my mom, my friend Meg, and her mom, and all four of us had to sit through all the credits to compose ourselves. I couldn't listen to "Wind Beneath My Wings" for awhile without crying in the car.

2. Steel Magnolias. Another great Julia Roberts chick flick. This movie ran the spectrum of all emotions - hysterically funny at times, and so sad at others.

3. A Love Story. Okay, this one is a little dated, but I love it just the same. Maybe it's because we had the theme song sung at our wedding (my sister-in-law Kismet did a great job.)

4. Simon Birch. I read the book that I thought the movie was based on - something about Owen Meany. I liked the movie much better.

5. Schindler's List. One of the few movies I own, though the material is so heavy, I've only watched it once since I got it.

A movie that I highly recommend, and it will bring some tears but many more laughs, is Parenthood with Steve Martin. This movie is a little dated (I think late 80's maybe or early 90's,) but I absolutely love this movie. It isn't so depressing that you feel depressed at the end, but it does tug at the emotions while offering many opportunities to laugh.

If Kelley ever posts about a topic that solicits comments regarding laughter, maybe I will post about movies that I think are pretty funny. However, I'm no movie buff, so the majority of movies I can relate to are from teen through college days.

Triathlon Training Update - back on schedule. I ran 45 minutes tonight, and after a few blocks, the knee loosened up and didn't feel too bad the rest of the way. It felt really good running after taking a day off. The day before THE DAY, we rest, so hopefully I will have that really good feeling on that Saturday.

Smells

One of the rankest smells I know of is that of spoiled milk. I remember last summer, every time I would get in my car I couldn't figure out why it smelled so bad. I would drive around with all the windows down to air it out, but nothing seemed to make the smell go away. Finally I decided to clear everything out of the car, and underneath the passenger side seat was a sippy cup with a cottage cheese looking substance inside. I decided the smell I would have to endure to clean out the cup was not worth the cost of the cup, so I threw it away (I've done that with some storage containers in the fridge that were pushed to the back and forgotten about until I could not even recognize the original contents.)

Call it a pattern in the Wuertley family, but we tend to run out of necessary household items, and then we see how long we can go before we restock. Last time I posted about this it was toilet paper. This time it is dishwasher detergent. We are going on day three with no dishwasher detergent, and since these hands do not wash dishes (unless it's an oversized pan that doesn't fit in the dishwasher,) our dishwasher is stuffed full of dirty dishes. I have arranged, rearranged, layered dishes over cups, and shoved silverware into the rack until not even a toothpick will fit. I have managed to fit everything in so far except for a 9x13 dish that held pizza casserole that we finished up tonight. And it's soaking in the sink, so in my mind it is where it would normally be anyway. A couple of problems have occurred since we haven't had detergent. First, since I don't wash dishes, the dishes we use tomorrow for breakfast will have to stay stacked in the sink. Maybe we will use paper towel instead and have pop-tarts. Wait, we are out of paper towel, too. We do have toilet paper, though, so we could use that. Second, there are about 5 dirty sippy cups in the dishwasher that at one time had milk in them. I will admit, I am not a good rinser outer of dishes and cups. When we bought our dishwasher, one of the selling points was that you didn't have to rinse your dishes - the dishwasher was so powerful that it would do it for you. So therefore, I have gotten in the habit of not rinsing dishes. So between the smell of three day old food stuck on plates and smelly sour milk sippy cups, anyone who opens up the dishwasher almosts falls over with the odor. I almost ran a rinse cycle this afternoon, but then I was concerned Jason would think the dishes were clean and then unload the dishwasher. We were going to run to Wal-Mart after a preschool ice cream social this evening but found we lacked the energy to do so after we left the school. Maybe tomorrow I will squeeze in a trip to the store...and maybe I will pick up some paper towel while I am at it, too.

While I am on the topic of smells, I would just like to share a few of my most favorite smells that don't involve food - a brand new can of tennis balls, an auto store where they sell tires, a brand new car, gasoline, and rubber cement (the last two I do not sniff, but if my nose happens to pick up the fragrance while I am in the vicinity, I do enjoy the smell.)

And finally, just a little update on the bike wreck injuries. I am feeling much better today, although I am a little sore. At this point my right knee is of most concern, but when I am up and around on it, it loosens up and feels pretty good, so I think it is just bruised. We are set for a 4 mile run tomorrow, and I plan to use common sense, but I am hoping I can get back on track. Ice has really helped the swelling, and Tylenol has done wonders for the pain. I received a packet of information regarding the triathlon, and I have one concern. The race starts at 8:30, and since my goal is 3 hours, I am hoping to cross the finish line by 11:30. The packet says that the post race awards ceremony starts at 10:45. Guess I won't be a part of that.

Bike Wreck

I wasn't planning on posting today, but the day's events left me no choice but to share. It's funny, most posts that I write would have a theme song playing in the background if I knew how to do it (Jim, another training on blog night?) For example, on my "Windfall" post, I would have Pink Floyd's "Money" playing. For "Surviving Motherhood," I would have Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." For this post, I would choose D.C. Talk's "What If I Stumble, What If I Fall."

I can remember 3 different bike wrecks I had in my childhood. The first is when I was six years old. I was playing bike tag with the neighborhood kids, and when I reached over to tag my friend, I fell off my bike and cracked my head. My parents took me to the ER, I was diagnosed with a mild concussion, and Mom was a little concerned that night when she put me to bed and I said I didn't know how to give her a kiss goodnight. But I survived, and the next bike wreck I remember was in 5th grade. This wreck happened in our driveway at the conclusion of a bike race between my brother and me - we arrived at the same time. This was the last time we raced around the neighborhood. The third wreck I remember was when I was in 6th grade - I was riding home from the corner store. I fell on some rocks and gashed my elbow. I felt pretty cool the next day going to school with my elbow all wrapped up.

Today's triathlon training called for a 60 minute bike ride. Since the ride was so lengthy, and I really wanted to go at least 12 miles, I decided the Cardinal Greenway would be the best place to bike. The closest place to get on the Cardinal Greenway from our house is at 8th and D St., about a mile away. I had a little trouble finding it because to get on, you have to go down 8th street a little ways, but I followed another biker and was fine. I biked 5.75 miles on the Greenway before turning around and heading back. As I approached 10th and Nebraska St., I saw an easy exit to get off the Greenway, so instead of risking missing my turn, I went ahead and took 10th street to Nebraska. Once on Nebraska for about 1/2 block, I heard a car behind me, and out of courtesy, I decided to go on the sidewalk. The way the sidewalk looked, there didn't appear to be a bump to cross when exiting the road. Apparently there was a little incline, because the wheel of my bike skidded, and two seconds later, my right cheekbone was saying hello to the sidewalk. Have you ever been involved in an event when either right when it is happening or right after, you don't know what to do but you have to do something? It's like everything is in slow motion, and you can't move a muscle because you can't believe what just happened. Then, instead of cleaning up the mess, you just want to run in the opposite direction instead of dealing with it. For example, I've watched one of my children throw up, and while she is in process, the logical thing to do would be to run and grab a trash can or grab her and take her to the toilet, but instead I stare at her, dumbfounded, as she is spewing all over my mom's white carpet. Then the last thing I want to do is clean her and her mess up, but I have to. Today's wreck was just like that. I jumped up quickly but then just stood, not sure what to do next. Do I examine my injuries? My bike? Look to see if anyone saw anything? I went with the bike examination first - it seemed less threatening. The handlebars were twisted, but after turning them around, the bike seemed fine. Then there was me. Okay, throbbing pain in the right cheekbone (I can see my cheekbone, not a good sign.) Left knee with several gashes and blood running down the leg. Rocks in my right palm. Shoulder definitely in pain. Well, what could I do? I was at 9th and Nebraska (ironically, just past the Indiana Health Center, which was closed) with no cell phone and noone I knew nearby. Then I heard a voice behind me. "Are you okay?" I turned around and saw a man coming towards me - he had probably been coming the opposite way when I crashed. At first I thought it was someone I knew from the Chronicle, someone I would have accepted a ride from if it was him. But the closer he got, I realized this was not who I thought. Yes, I am okay, I told him, though I know my looks were to the contrary. I told him I lived close enough that I could just ride my bike home and take care of things there. I thanked him for stopping (it was nice) and he drove away. Then I got on my bike. Great. My chain was messed up and my bike would not pedal. Now what do I do? I have no choice but to start walking. So now I'm walking down Nebraska St., the right side of my face puffy, blood streaming down my leg, pushing my bike. I get to Gas America, 4 blocks closer to home, when I see another man coming toward me. Great, maybe he has a cell phone, I think. However, the closer he got, the more I noticed he was not a "nice" man, he was a "strange" man. I know that is stereotypical, but it's true - I could tell by his mannerisms that he was not going to be helping me. He looks at me and says..."Oh, I'm sorry, you won't be able to help me. You don't have a pocketbook. Have a nice day." And he walks on by. That would have been icing on the cake - getting mugged right after the wreck. So I walk another block to Corey's Tanning, go inside and ask to use the phone. The nice teen working (who at first was giving me strange looks, probably thinking I had been in a fight) let me call Jason, and she also gave me a towel to wipe up the blood. I called Jason, and knowing that Anna was napping, I told him I would just walk home, because by the time he loaded both kids in the car and found me, I could be home anyway. So I made the 1 mile trek home, feeling once again like a six year old wheeling her bike with two skinned knees after a crash. So three hours after the crash, here is an update:

The bike - Jason fixed the chain, and the bike is back in working order. I think I will still have it serviced before the race day.

Me - I'm sure I will have to endure the next few days of "What happened to you" when people see my face. Jason's a little nervous - it does look like someone popped me a good one. My shoulder and left foot are definitely sore, but they seem to be the types of injuries that will gradually fade in the next few days. My right knee, however, is the concern. It is gashed and swollen, but it doesn't hurt when I am not on it. When I've been sitting awhile, it does hurt to walk on it, but the more I am on it, the pain becomes duller. My worst fear about the triathlon was that I was either going to get injured training, or worse yet injured during the race. I'm really hoping that in the next few days, this injury slowly fades away as the others will.

Oh, and another shower fact - I took a post wreck shower to clean up my injuries , but I wish I was a "face away from the shower" showerer because the hot water really stung!

Updates

Though I don't get to catch too many of the shows these days, I have watched my fair share of "Dr. Phil," "Montel," and even "Maury." My favorite episodes of these shows are the update shows, the episodes where they have past guests back on the show to give us an update of their situations. What did they do once they found out the true identity of their babies "real" daddy? Did the incorrigible teen remain reformed after returning home after a week of Montel sponsored boot camp? Did the unfaithful husband remain true to his wife after admitting his straying ways on Dr. Phil? Even if I had not watched the original episode, I still enjoyed hearing "the rest of the story." So I thought I would do an "update" post today - some new information regarding topics that I have posted about in the past.

"4 Generations of Infomercial Mania"

The Magic Bullet arrived last week, and we have used it 3 times. The evening my parents dropped it off, I did not think Elizabeth would be able to contain herself. Given that we had few ingredients on hand, we were only able to make a strawberry-banana smoothie - minus the splash of orange juice. Magic Bullet novices that we were, we used the wrong blade at first, and our first smoothie came out a bit chunky. But we got our act together, and the last few glasses we made were pretty good - and made in less than 10 seconds. This morning we had a magic bullet breakfast. I had to be a team player and not make my usual homemade pancackes - the magic bullet recipe called for Bisquick. I was a little concerned as I put my 1 egg, 1 cup of Bisquick, and 2 cups of milk in the glass, because the Bisquick recipe calls for 1 cup of milk. But I am not going to go against the magic bullet instructions. After a few quick pulses, I opened the lid, and the batter had the consistency of milk. So I added another 1/2 cup of Bisquick, all that I had left, and we had very thin pancakes this morning. Elizabeth said they were the best she ever tasted. Jason mixed up the eggs in the magic bullet - we've never had such well-blended eggs before. We are going to try a new recipe a week, so I will give a recipe update every now and then. So far - Magic Bullet lives up to its reputation. It does the job in 10 seconds or less.

"Did You Know..."

Gas is now holding steady at $2.69 at the local gas station. And new updates about what is coming to town - I just heard the rumors on Wednesday...Target, Best Buy, Kohls, and the best yet - a new football stadium at IWU. Funny, Dad hasn't mentioned that IWU is getting a football team.

"Irony and the Sound of Music"

I am happy to report that all 3 Wuertley vehicles are in working order. However, after driving Jason's Yukon around for two days while my car was getting fixed, it was hard getting back into my '98 Honda. Maybe I am ready for a new car...

"OverIndulgence or Necessity of Life"

This post was about Elizabeth winning the stuffed animal at CiCi's. She has become quite the expert at this game. We were in Ci'Ci's a couple of weeks ago when she tried her luck again. Jason gave her 1.00, and she was 0-2. Grandpa's lucky dollar did the trick - on her 4th try, she won a beautiful pink aardvark or mouse for Anna. She wasn't so lucky at Wal-mart two evenings ago - she was 0-1. Gee, I guess we waste a lot of money on this game now that I am typing about all the times she has played this game in the last two weeks.

"Potentially Great Ideas"

I talked about our remodeling project in the study in this post, and I stated that the finishing touch in the room would be hanging the curtains. There are 3 windows in the room. Curtain #1 went up the weekend the curtains came. Curtain #2 was hung the evening we were having lots of company for my parents' 40th anniversary cookout. Curtain #3 is still in the box. Maybe sometime this week???

"What a Day"

I am pleased to report that my parents' cottage project is complete for this year. We finished the living room and kitchen, leaving only the bathroom to tackle. This will probably be a job for next spring/early summer, although I would love to be able to finish it before WMCR. We repainted the two rooms and Mom refinished the wood floor with Tung Oil. It looks great!

Another portion of this post talked about our family picture portraits. We received the proofs back, and I have posted a few to share. Unfortunately the photographer's camera was not working properly; she would take several pictures and only one would flash. The result - a three year old that is rarely looking at the camera. Everyone else looked great, so only Anna will have to deal with a non-smile look the next 5 years she sees her picture on the wall. Picture 2 isn't bad of Anna, but if you see the picture in "real life," she has a really goofy smile. We chose picture 4 (bottom right.) Anna isn't smiling, but at least she's looking forward.

"College Wesleyan 15, Hanfield 5"

I am pleased to report that College Wesleyan women's softball team not only went undefeated in the regular season, we also won the tournament, beating Hanfield 21-2. This year's team was our best ever, and we didn't fall apart in the tournament like we usually do.

"A Few Days Away From Reality...Priceless"

I typed this post shortly after several trees at our house were blown over as a result of a severe storm. The electric company has gotten proactive and taken down several of our remaining trees that were entangled in power lines. The result is that we have enough firewood to last us for the next 50 years camping. It's unbelievable, and the guys aren't finished cutting it up. We have lost a little bit of privacy, though, because those trees formed a barrier between our yard and the homes behind us. No more going to the bathroom in the garden to keep the bunnies away!

"Windfall"

I just may have my own little windfall. Due to budget constraints, we are not getting a cost of living raise this year. However, to make up for that, the administration is offering a $400 bonus to employees who during the period between Labor Day and Fall Break, do not break any rules, have any safety violations, and have perfect attendance. The first two qualifications will be no problem, but the third concerns me. Guess I will be going to work sick. And sorry, Elizabeth, no field trips for two months. Jason says I should just forget it and miss all the days I can during that time period. I don't think my employers would find that funny. Anyway, if I am able to perservere, the money is mine to do with as I wish. I have no idea what I will do with it...$400!!

"Phobias"

Two Sundays ago, Ken Schenck preached at College Church, and during his sermon he talked about how he was freaked out in the '80's by the rapture videos. I've heard lots of people refer to that since I posted about my phobia - glad to know I'm not the only one!

Triathlon Training Update

Two weeks from today, it will be over. Today was the last day I could use my YMCA card, so I will have to plan out how I am going to do the swim for the next two weeks. Shelli and I ran 55 minutes today - I think we are ready for a mini-marathon!

Oh, and in closing, just another fun something to try in the shower - that is if you can stand to face the water. Put your tongue under the heaviest stream of water for 5-10 seconds. I couldn't hardly stand the sensation - it almost felt like thick mashed potatoes were stuck on my tongue.

Robot

I am a robot, a machine. The alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m. After one snooze (6:07), I roll out of bed and go to wake up Elizabeth (6:08). She crawls into bed with Jason, and I head into the bathroom. I go to the bathroom (6:10), get out my towel (I use a new one every day) and washcloth, and sit down to shower (another topic for another post.) After showering (6:20), I dress (6:25), put on minimal makeup (6:28), go downstairs, get the newspaper (6:30), fix a bowl of cereal, and sit down to eat and read the paper (6:35). After breakfast (6:40), I head back upstairs, do Elizabeth's hair (french braid days take the longest, today was pigtails so not too bad,) send her down for breakfast (7:00), then dry and gel my hair. I go downstairs (7:05), prod Elizabeth to finish up breakfast, brush her teeth, put on her shoes, and then we head out the door (7:15). I drop her off at Doug and Kismet's to catch the bus (7:20), and I head to work (7:30). I work until lunch (11:25), then I head to Westminster pre-school to pick up Anna (11:30). I fix Anna lunch (11:40), babysitter arrives at 11:45, throw in a load of laundry (11:50), grab something to eat (12:00), and head back to work (12:15.) Work until 3:30, head home to face the evening. This part of the evening varies depending on the day - Monday is hopefully dance (haven't gotten schedule), Tuesday gymnastics/Meijer, Wednesday piano/Clubhouse, Thursday tennis and blog group. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday is the above morning/afternoon schedule. Thursday and Friday are a little different because Anna doesn't have preschool, so I just go home at lunch. My car is on autopilot. Sometimes my car and my brain don't get together, so my car automatically goes to where it thinks it should go, but when the routine changes, my brain doesn't give my car the message. My office was in the same building for 9 years - this year it has moved. Yesterday I missed my turn going to work after lunch - I was driving to the old building. Today was even more laid out because after work, I went home and picked up both girls, dropped Anna off at Great Grandma Wuertley's house, took Elizabeth back to work with me from 4:30-6:00 (a madhouse taking applications - a job that requires three experienced people, and we did it with me and an inexperienced one), went to the Womack's for dinner (Jason stayed home, sick) went to Wal-mart to pick up supplies for Family Enrichment Time tomorrow morning at work, and then went home. Wal-mart with two young children is not the way to end a day like today, but when you are a robot, it doesn't matter. You go from event to event without thinking - it's second nature, it has to be done. There's no time to fret, to complain, to even think about how frenzied of a pace you are living. When the schedule is like this, there comes a time when I wonder if I am even feeling anymore, or if I truly have become a machine that completes tasks and honors obligations, with nothing left to give at the end of the day. Tonight I stopped to think about the events of the day and tried to place feelings with them, giving me hope that I am still a human being, a worker, a wife, a mother, a friend, and a child of God with feelings. I called up the "How Are You Feeling Today" chart that is placed in some of our classrooms to get some common feelings, and I have placed certain events of the day with some of those feelings:

exhausted - this is the feeling I felt when I came home from all the day's events and sat on the couch and ate a piece of delicious peach pie that my cousin made. Funny how you can have lots of energy when you go go go and then when you finally sit down, you realize how tired you are.

confused - A parent came in today to try to enroll her child in our preschool program. However, she is kindergarten age eligible. When I told her that her daughter needed to be in kindergarten, she said the teacher who screened her told her that her daughter was not ready for kindergarten, she had been neglectful in teaching her at home, and she shouldn't come to school this year. Maybe I am going to step on some toes with this one, but I feel it is the school's responsibility to offer public education to age-eligible children, even if parents have not laid a foundation - and it's the law. Maybe the girl will have to repeat kindergarten, but at least she will be in school, which is a much more educational place to be than home.

sad - that I had to turn some families away today because they make too much money for our program but not enough to afford private preschool.

frustrated - that I was short staffed today while taking applications - we have had a lot of staff turnover, and there just wasn't staff trained to help today, but the show must go on.

guilty - for cancelling out with Shannon on a kid's hope training tonight. With work and Jason being sick, I had to bail out. This also would fall under the feeling of being irresponsible.

happy - when I came home from lunch and Anna ran to the door with a big hug for me.

ashamed - that I snapped at the kids on the way home from Wal-mart because they were picking at each other and I was tired - I turned the radio up and told them they couldn't talk anymore. I probably overreacted and took out some of the day's frustration on them. Funny - the song that started playing was Sanctus Real's "I'm Not Alright." Fitting song for the time.

overwhelmed - that word pretty much sums up a lot of my work day.

hopeful - Friday's tomorrow - and no plans for tomorrow night, so the Wuertleys will be spending some serious family time together after a week that had nights of busyness.

lovestruck - when I walked in the door at 8:00 and saw my sick husband for the first time since 7:15 a.m. (puke, I know, I didn't know what else to say here.)

jealous - of my co-worker who had the freedom to elect not to come tonight to help take applications.

bored - nope, not today. Actually, not any day for the last two weeks. Except maybe when I am running laps for the triathlon.

shy - a little when I introduced myself to Elizabeth's principal today.

Here's a few more that were not on the poster -

grateful - for many things today. My awesome babysitter did my laundry (at least 2 loads and folded them, too,) Jason's grandma watched Anna while I worked, and Jaena invited us over for dinner last minute and it was great - especially since I didn't have time to make dinner.

peaceful - as I sit here and type this at the end of the day with the window open and crickets chirping, kids in bed and responsibilities of the day complete.

hysterical - as I watched The Office tonight. It has to be the funniest show on t.v. right now - many moments where I audibly laugh. I would also say last night at blog night, but I am only talking about today.

blessed - that I have a family I love, a job that most days I thoroughly enjoy, friends whom I have already blogged about so I need not say more, and all my needs are taken care of. I am going to bed in a bedroom with air conditioning and the only mattress in the world I can comfortably sleep on - and my stomach is full (with peach pie.)

tired - it is past my bedtime now, and since this is the end, I can take care of this feeling pretty easily.

8/25 post qualifier - As I reread this post this morning before I head to work, I feel as if I need to add a qualifier before the rest of the blog world reads (except for Jaena, who is a late-night blogger.) The tone of the post was not to be a commentary on busyness, and especially not to imply that my life is busier than others - because we all fill our time with things to do. It was more of a commentary on how my life (like others?) is so scheduled at times, especially during the school year, that I go from task to task checking off the list with no time to attach any emotions to what I am doing (except maybe negative ones that include frustration, being overwhelmed, etc.) Hope that is the tone that comes through to the reader. Just another example of when you blog, people can't hear your tone or see your expressions to understand the true connotation of what you are saying.


Triathlon training update - another guilty topic - I just couldn't do it today. There was really, honestly, no time. I apologize to my training partner; I will not take a break tomorrow and will make it all up in the next three days. I promise. Really.

Mediocrity

I've been involved in sports for as long as I can remember. I remember walking with my brother to the Marion College Luckey Gym from Center School when I was in kindergarten and first grade. My brother and I would play tennis against each other during tennis season and shoot baskets during basketball season while my dad coached. We played miniature golf at Greens Golfland (now Rivers Edge) while the Marion College golf team practiced. We hung out at the softball diamond in the summer and at Lincoln School gym in the winter during Dad's church league days. Sports were almost always on the t.v. at our house - especially during major tournaments and big games. In gym class, during the days where captains were chosen and the non athletic kids felt left out because they were picked last (do they still do it that way?) I was usually the first girl picked (if boys were captains because if girls were captains they chose their best friend first) and often times I was picked before a lot of the boys. Sports seemed to come natural to me - I'm not sure if it was because of the environment I was raised in or just a natural tendency. Therefore, even today when I am involved in any kind of athletic endeavor (sports I know how to play at least) my tendency is to feel like I should win. And even if the competition appears to be superior, I still feel like I have a chance to win if they perform poorly and I perform well. Of course I don't always win - usually because I am not as good as the competition - yet it still eats at me when I lose. And I know the feeling that I should be able to win is unrealistic and maybe even a little bit of overconfidence. The events of this past weekend provided me a lot of insight on my attitudes towards competition in sports and also a great deal of humility and reality.

After 9 years of employment with Marion Community Schools, I finally had the opportunity to participate in Corporate Challenge this year. Corporate Challenge is an annual event sponsored by the Grant County YMCA, and this was Marion Community School's first year to participate. Grant County corporations compete against each other in various sporting events over two weekends - i.e. tug of war, golf, bowling, softball, basketball hot shot. There are two divisions - one for larger corporations (MCS, IWU, Marion General Hospital for example) and one for smaller businesses. I didn't even know our corporation was fielding a team until the human resource director (Dr. Howe) who was heading it up called me to play on the softball team. During that conversation, I informed her that I knew how to play tennis and would be interested in playing mixed doubles with my brother (who is a teacher in the corporation.) So at that point I was a part of the softball and tennis competition. My entry into a third competition was the result of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I had gone to our administration building to pick up my t-shirt, and I ran into Dr. Howe. "You don't happen to be a runner, do you?" she asked. I told her that no, I am not a runner, but I am in training for a triathlon so I have been running some. Sometimes I just need to keep my mouth shut. She said she needed a female to run the 5K at 7:30 Saturday morning. Of course, I couldn't say no, so I was now a part of three competitions. Let me break down the events and results for you:

THE 5K - it's 3.1 miles for those of you out there like me who don't know how to convert from the metric system. I was pretty nervous about this race for a couple of reasons - I had never run in a race like this before, and I wasn't sure how good the competition was going to be. My fear was that my competitive edge was going to kick in, and that coupled with my inexperience in running would cause me to run at too fast a pace for me and then burn out. On the drive over to the race, conflicting thoughts were running through my head. One thought was that there aren't a lot of females in the county who could even run an entire 3.1 miles. I have been training; I know I can finish the race - I just might finish pretty high. Then the other thoughts kicked in - Deb, you are not a runner. You run a 10 minute mile. Your mom can probably speed walk close to that pace. There will be girls running in this race who actually run. You are going to try to keep up with them and then have to walk the last mile. I pulled in the parking lot, walked across the street to the sign in place, and began scoping out the competition. This may be stereotyping, but from looks alone, the majority of the female competition didn't look too athletic. I was beginning to feel pretty good about myself. Then I ran into Scott Turcott, coach of the IWU team. I asked him who were the girls running for IWU, and when he said "Kristen Sommers" (past IWU cross country runner,) my confidence suddenly left me and reality set in. No time to fret, it was time to load up on the bus to the start of the race. After getting off the bus, we had to walk a little ways to the start. Of course I made sure I was right at the start line - why not get any advantage I can? Then the official made an announcement - "If you are going to run this race in less than 20 minutes, please come to the front of the crowd." Well, of course I immediately stepped back; I was hoping to come in under 30 minutes. Then he said "If you are going to run this race in 25 minutes or less, step forward." Again, I stepped back. Wow, there were a lot of girls in front of me now. My confidence level is at O - my goal is now to finish ahead of Dr. Howe (who was also running the race.) On your mark, get set, go - and we were off. I started at a little faster pace than I would have liked, but it was manageable. After 5 minutes or so, we had all spread out, and I was eyeing the competition around me. I had my eyes fixed on three girls - all wearing red. Two were friends running together, and one of them did not look athletic at all. "Surely I can beat her," I thought. The third girl had passed me after about 3 minutes and was staying just ahead of me. 10 minutes more pass - we are over half way done. Then I am hearing some serious breathing right behind me, and it's kind of messing up my own breathing pattern. Pretty soon the person is beside me - it's our superintendent! He says a pleasant comment, and I, in my delirious state, reply, "I wondered who was huffing and puffing behind me!" Let's hope my superintendent has a sense of humor - it's Tuesday today and I still have my job. 5 minutes later and one of the girls ahead is walking...now she's running. I'm going to get her, she's wearing down. Five more minutes pass and I am passing the girl who had passed me at the beginning. One more minute later and I pass non athletic girl. I never could catch the third girl, though, and I crossed the finish line somewhere around 28 or 29 minutes. There was a big clock at the finish line, but I was so delirious and exhausted that I didn't notice it right away. At this point, I should have been feeling great - I ran the race averaging about a 9 1/2 minute mile which is much faster than I usually run. However, the dominating feeling other than exhaustion was frustration that several women, including women who were much older than me and less "athletic looking" than me, had beaten me.

Softball - This was my first experience playing co-ed softball. There are quite a few differences between playing church league softball and co-ed softball - one of the obvious was that our co-ed pitcher said he had a hangover, and I've never heard Sue say that before. My opinion is that your co-ed team is only as good as your girls. You have to have equal numbers of males and females, and they alternate when batting. So even if you have decent guys, if your girls can't get on base, you aren't going to score many runs. Our guys were decent, and 4 of our 5 girls were decent. We won our first two games and then faced IWU's #1 team. This was not an enjoyable game for me for lots of reasons. #1. I had run the 5K earlier that morning and this was my second softball game of the day - I was pooped. #2. I am friends with several people on the IWU team and I didn't know anyone on my own team. But I was still 51% for our team, 49% for IWU. #3. It was hard playing against 3 of my church league teammates. #4. We lost 1-0 in a well-played defensive game except for a routine fly ball that our right fielder dropped that scored IWU's only run. I was 0-2 and did not help the cause at all. This softball experience was really humbling for me because I wasn't even close to being regarded as a respectible softball player - I was the 4th best girl on the team, or better put, the third worst . Actually during all three games I played, I only fielded one ball, and it was a grounder. I only had 1 hit. I never got to prove to my teammates that I actually knew how to play softball - I wasn't some scrub who just wanted to play for social reasons. It was a humbling experience to not be the go-to person, the one everyone was counting on. Instead I was the one who was almost assumed to be an automatic out.

3. Tennis - Ah, a time to redeem myself. Back in my comfort zone. My brother played some awesome tennis, and I played pretty good, and we were able to win the tennis competition. This was on Sunday, the last of the competitions, and it was good to feel like a winner again.

So my thoughts regarding the Corporate Challenge Weekend. Did I enjoy the 5K run and softball as much as the tennis even though I didn't win the first two events? No. Duh.

Did I feel like a "winner" in the 5K because I had bettered my time and in softball because we at least won 2 games? No.

Was it a waste of time to participate in the first two events because I didn't really contribute? I don't know. It was probably good experience for me to run the 5K with the triathlon coming up, and church league softball on Monday night (see Kelley Grate link) did seem a lot more slow paced and easier compared to co-ed.

Why did I have such a hard time accepting the results of the 5K and softball, aside from my competitive nature and desire to win? Mediocrity. That's what it is. I am a mediocre runner and softball player. Yes, a lot of people would not be able to run 3 miles, and I can play softball better than some. But there are a whole lot of other people who can do better than me in both sports. Would I have been bothered if someone had beaten me at archery? No, because I am terrible at archery (at least I was in high school gym.) Ice skating? Can't even stand up in the skates. Soccer? I don't even like watching it let alone playing it. So it comes down to this. My first preference is to win at any sport I am playing, regardless if I am dominant, mediocre, or lousy. But if I must lose, I would rather be lousy than mediocre. Because if I am lousy, I have an excuse - I am lousy. To be mediocre is the worst - good enough to expect to win, and not good enough to actually win.

Triathlon Training Update - Due to the adjustment of starting school last week and corporate challenge, my training took a big hit. I didn't completely take a break - I still biked and ran on Saturday (3.1 miles to be exact.) But I didn't swim at all last week. Shelli and I decided to not train on Monday due to the softball tournament (see Kelley Grate link, but just in case you don't, WE WON...21-2!!!) So I was back at it tonight, biking 7.25 miles and running 2 miles. The 5K must have given me some more confidence because I ran the 2 miles in just over 18 minutes - so I was pretty excited about that. I know taking the time to train is going to be a struggle over the next couple of weeks because when evening comes, I just want to stay in and see my family. But it will all be over in a few weeks, and the goal is definitely in sight!

Did You Know???

Did you know...

that last week gas was going to go up to over $4.00 a gallon? It did in Wabash. At least that's what I heard.

that IWU's main goal is not to promote a Christian education university environment? It's really to overtake the city of Marion. That's why they are closing Nebraska Street.

that if ethanol becomes our primary source of fuel, noone will be able to afford to eat? Meat prices will skyrocket because there won't be enough feed for the livestock.

that Meijer, Kroger, Tyson Chicken, Toyota, Target, and Kohls are coming to Marion? And they are all going to be located on the land west of the bypass out south.

that if the site of the new Marion aquatic center is at the old Essex site on Adams, noone will come? It will be unsafe for the children who will be playing in the traffic, and it is in a high crime area.

that if the mega dairies come to Grant County, we will all be exposed to disease and the drinking water will be unsafe to consume?

that art, music, and p.e. in the next few years will no longer be offered in the school system?

that social security isn't going to be around when we are ready to retire?

that the government really has a cure for cancer, but the pharmaceutical companies who run the show won't allow the public to have it?

that Tom Cruise's and Katie Holmes's baby doesn't really exist? I mean, noone has really seen her.

I have to smile as I post the above questions. Some of them were written tongue in cheek, others were purely rumors that I have heard but not yet confirmed. With a couple of them, I don't have enough facts to determine if it is tongue in cheek or a factual statement. I think it is interesting to listen to people both speak of possible events happening and then also watch the recipient of the rumor react. We all know people who during the winter time, they are the first to march into the office (after watching the weather channel all night) and announce that we are going to have 7-10 inches of snow. So the rumor is started, and after work everyone rushes to the store, leaving the shelves of bread and milk empty. Then we all go to bed that night (way too late because we are anticipating a delay or closing) and wake up to an inch of accumulation. How about Y2K? I didn't buy a plot of land out west, but I was a little concerned the closer the clock got to midnight. I remember we were at a Sunday School class get together at the Rowleys. Elizabeth was just over a month old, and I was holding her in my lap on the couch as we counted down 10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..Happ...the electricity went out in the house. I jumped (luckily held onto Elizabeth,) and a few seconds later the lights came back on, and Don thought he was pretty funny pulling that joke on everyone. But I remember the hype that surrounded that event and the precautions people took expecting the worse. I remember a short time period in my childhood when my mom didn't want me to watch the smurfs because of the rumored demonic overtones. And just how many days has Christ missed his return?

I have to admit, I am one who tends to get a little hyper when someone tells me of something that is going to happen, even if it is not confirmed. Then when that something doesn't happen, I have gotten all worked up over nothing. Or, like in the case of the new aquatic center, the negative comments start before the ground is even broken - maybe the aquatic center will turn out to be just as nice as Kokomo Beach - maybe even nicer. Or maybe it will be cruddy, but we might as well not be negative about it until the project is complete.

Our preschool program just completed a major reconstruction project over the summer, and due to budget cuts and space constraints, our offices and classrooms are much smaller than last year. Before and during the remodeling, all kinds of rumors were flying around about how the finished product was going to look and how miserable it was going to be. The construction is now complete, and it is definitely not an ideal situation. But it's workable - I hope as the staff gets used to their smaller surroundings, the negativity will lessen, because it sucks the energy out of the workplace. And I have to watch my attitude, too, because there have been many times already this week when our less than ideal situation has been pretty frustrating. But the kinks are getting worked out, and though the stress level of today was higher than I would like, it was lower than the previous two days - so there is definitely hope.

Triathlon Training Update - going back to work has really made training a struggle, and I haven't found the solution yet. I ran 4 miles on Tuesday after our softball game (we won 11-1, yeah! Semis and finals are next Monday) and it was the longest 4 miles of my life. But I finished
somewhere between 40 and 41 minutes, so I was happy with my time. Yesterday did not offer a free minute to train until 9:30 p.m., and I just couldn't motivate my body to cooperate. So I guess yesterday was a rest day and I will do yesterday's workout tonight (bike 30 minutes and strength training.)

The First Day Back

Today was the first official day back to work, and we had the obligatory first day back to work staff meeting. This is where we meet new staff, get reacquainted with returning staff after being apart for a summer, go over rules and regulations, and have a little training thrown in. This year's staff meeting was a little sad for me because we have had quite a turnover in staff, and some of my closest friends through work were not there today. However, the staff meeting was true to form, and I don't know if my mind is working a little differently since I've been blogging or what, but I can't help but post on this topic, even though I hadn't anticipated posting tonight. In staff meetings across the country, rather it is in a school system, a business setting, or a church, certain staff meeting personalities become apparent during the meeting. I thought I would share a few tonight that I have observed over the many staff meetings I have attended.

The Gabber. This person talks incessantly to the person sitting beside them while the boss/speaker is talking. This person isn't just interjecting thoughts here and there; the gabber is carrying on a one-sided conversation with the person sitting next to them. The worst seat to be sitting in in a staff meeting...the seat beside the gabber. Do you pay attention to your boss/speaker and appear rude to the gabber, or do you pay attention to the gabber and risk getting in trouble with your boss? Luckily I was not in that seat today, but I sure have been before.

The Annoying Question Asker. I've heard it said that there is no such thing as a dumb question. Whoever said that has not sat in a staff meeting. The annoying question asker may be asking a question about something that has already been covered. They may ask a question about a different topic than the one that is being discussed. The question they ask may have such an obvious answer that you can't believe the question was even asked. And the most annoying question...the one where the speaker asks if there is any more questions, everyone is ready for a break or to be dismissed because they have been sitting in the same spot for 3 hours, and the annoying question asker actually asks a question (one that is totally irrelevant, of course. A relevant question that would impart knowledge to us all is always welcomed.)

The Complainer. This person is complaining because we even have to have a staff meeting. They have a pile of work back in their classroom/office to take care of. They don't have time to be sitting in this meeting hearing information they already know. The room is too cold - or maybe too hot. There wasn't any sugar free candy for them to snack on. The speaker isn't relevant to them. You get the picture.

The Conversationalists. This group of friends purposefully sits together during the meeting and then carries on their own conversation while the meeting is going on. They whisper and giggle in their own little party. Usually they are in the back, and when they aren't talking, they're writing notes to each other on their agendas.

The Daydreamer. This person has colored in all of the o's and pictures on their agenda. They aren't paying attention; they're thinking about what they are having for dinner tonight or who's going to get voted off Survivor.

The Multitasker. This person isn't just listening to the speaker. The multitasker is also working on lesson plans, writing a grocery list, or doing other work related to the job.

The Brown Noser. This person is fervently taking notes. They are asking all the right questions, interjecting the appropriate comments, and affirming everything the boss is saying. They offer to go make extra copies, hand out the handouts, and get the boss something to drink. The brown noser also gives dirty looks to the above personalities.

The Confronter. This person isn't shy about bringing up anything that is bothering them regarding the job, even if the time is not appropriate. This is when they voice concern about salary, schedule, or job description, in front of the whole group. The confronter usually puts the boss on the spot, and tension is felt over the room.

The Passive/Aggresive Employee. This person obviously disagrees with what the boss is saying, but they don't openly say so. You can tell it in their body language, the way they refuse to make eye contact with the boss, and by their lack of input on topics they should be sharing information on. This person figures by sitting in the meeting and saying nothing, the boss won't be able to "get" them on an insubordinate attitutude, but they are still able to show their protest about the situation.

The Stick Your Foot In Your Mouth Employee. This person is guaranteed to say something inappropriate. Maybe they share too much personal information. Maybe they make jokes that they think are funny but not appropriate in a work place. Maybe they implicate themselves or other people when it comes to lack of job performance. Again, this person can cause a wave of tension or an uncomfortable feeling in the room. And finally...

The Obsessive Blogger. I... I mean this person is listening to the boss/speaker, I... I mean he/she really is. It's just that I... I mean he/she can get a little distracted when a blog topic comes to mind. Before blogging, I... I mean he/she would have tended to be the brown noser, always doing just what was expected. But what can I... I mean he/she say? When the mood strikes, I...I mean he/she has to go with it.

In all seriousness, I do love my job and my coworkers, and I do actually really like my boss, too. I get amused at the different personalities that can come out in a staff meeting setting, especially when topics come up that are very personal to us. And just in case any of my coworkers happen to be reading this...I was not referring to any of you. I was going on knowledge of past staff that are no longer with us :).

Triathlon Training Update - Strength Day today. Yesterday we had to run 45 minutes - I did 4 miles in just under 43. My training partner, however, is the woman...she did hers in around 41. I'd better step up my pace! :)

The Deb Wuertley, Overtly Quiz

When I was in high school, I loved to get teen type magazines like Seventeen or YM and take the quizzes that were inside. I was able to discern things about myself like "Am I a loyal friend?" "Does my boyfriend really love me?" "Am I an extrovert or introvert at a party?" "What would my perfect birthday celebration be?" and so on. I'll have to admit, I still love taking the quizzes in the grown-up magazines, too, it's just that the quiz titles have become a little more "mature." "Do you have good communication in your marriage?" "Are you at an increased risk for breast cancer?" "Are you in good enough shape for your age?" In honor of these types of quizes, and since school really begins tomorrow for a lot of us and to get us back in the school mindset, I have compiled the Deb Wuertley, Overtly Quiz. The quiz is 38 questions long with one question from each of my posts. At the end will be the complimentary "grading scale" so you can see where you fall. (I've taken the quiz, and not to brag, but I scored 100%. ) This post has potential to be quite lengthy, and since I am not sure when I will be posting again due to work starting, (I'm not signing off for good, I just know I am not going to be able to keep up the posting each night pace) you could even spread the quiz over the next several days. Oh, and one important rule...no peeking back at past posts! The purpose of the quiz is to see how well you know "Deb Wuertley" after visiting the site over the last several days (peeking would be comparable to Elizabeth looking at the answer key in word searches - I would think it would defeat the purpose of the entertainment.) Here goes...

1. The Intro Blog. Which one of the following topics did I say I would not ever post about on my blog? a.) my children b.) my husband c.) my job d.) my sister-in-law Kismet

2. Father's Day. Which of the following childhood games was one of my favorites with my dad?
a.) game in the hall b.) euchre c.) ball and strike d.) dungeons and dragons

3. I Have Music, Too Bad I Have No Talent. Which of the following songs to I not understand the meaning of the lyrics? a.) Bohemian Rhapsody b.) Stairway to Heaven c.) One Tin Soldier d.) Jesus Loves Me

4. Surviving Motherhood. On this post in which I posted my first picture, who was in the picture? a.) Anna with marker on her body b.) Elizabeth and Anna with ice cream on their face c.) Elizabeth after falling off her bike d.) Anna and Elisha after coloring the camper

5. Phobias. Who created the title for my blog? a.) My mom b.) My brother c.) My cousin d.) Anonymous

6. Dreams. Which of the following is NOT one of my recurring nightmares? a.) missing shots in a basketball game b.) problems dialing 911 in an emergency c.) I'm in my childhood home in the dreams d.) a fellow blogger torches my house when I make a rude comment on her blog

7. Windfall. If I won a lot of money, which of the following is true? a.) I would still work b.) I would move to a different city c.) I would buy a new home d.) I would split all the money between our Sunday School Class members.

8. A Few Days Away From Reality...Priceless. When the "big storm" hit this summer and we had no electricity at our home, we spent a few days a.) at Jason's parents' house b.) camping c.) at the Holiday Inn d.) at Wal-Mart

9. I'm Becoming My Mother. I have the following in common with my mom. a.) I sing in the church choir b.) I am a teacher c.) I have a phobia about the dark d.) I have a problem with moderation

10. Great Expectations. I picked up this sport my senior year of high school. a.) golf b.) softball c.) volleyball d.) football

11. Contentment. I strayed from my topics guidelines in this post by posting about...a.) Jason b.) a scripture verse c.) my job d.) my cursing habit

12. Blog Surfing and... Fill in the blank to complete this post title. a.) Spider Solitaire b.) Hearts c.) Euchre d.) Fantasy Football

13. Cousins. Elizabeth and Anna have a cousin named a.) Abby b.) Katelyn c.) Maria d.) Anonymous

14. Cousins Part II. Last summer, my family took a vacation to a.) Kings Island b.) Disneyworld c.) Mammoth Cave d.) Gas City Petting Zoo

15. The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat. The mystery people in the photo were a.) my friend Meg and her brother Scott b.) Elizabeth and Anna c.) Joel and Jaena, my cousins d.) Kismet and Kelley

16. Excuse vs. Reason. My brother and I competed in a _______tournament together this summer. a.) tennis b.) ping pong c.) euchre d.) weightlifting

17. July 4th pictures. I posted pictures of July 4th evening with a.) Jason's family b.) My brother's kids c.) my parents d.) we didn't celebrate July 4th.

18. Happy ___ Birthday to Me. Fill in the blank of this post title (it's my age.) a.) 30 b.) 31 c.) 32 d.) 21

19. The Curse of the Gift Card. I was burned by a gift card balance at a.) Bob Evans b.) Richards c.) La Charreada d.) Folkies

20. College Wesleyan 15, Hanfield 5. The sport this score was from is a.) Coed Softball b.) Church League Softball c.) Air Hockey d.) Tennis

21. Just a Few Random Observations. This plant grows in my garden overnight. a.) tomatoes b.) corn c.) zucchini d.) marijuana

22. Toilet Paper Shortage. We had to convert to using this for toilet paper. a.) napkins b.) newspapers c.) paper bags d.) the dictionary

23. Happy 9 Years. My highest comment count to date - it totaled a.) 32 b.) 37 c.) 48 d.) 2

24. What a Day! For my parents' anniversary, I took on what project? a.) Painting their cottage b.) cleaning their windows c.) Organizing their pantry d.) cleaning out my dad's closet

25. Who Am I and Who I Am. This group is a very important to my family. a.) Bowling League b.) The New York Yankees c.) Our Sunday School Class d.) NRA

26. Maturity. A new blog was introduced in this post. The author is a.) my mom b.) Jason c.) my brother d.) Anonymous

27. Smile, You're on Candid Camera. A practical joke backfired on me at Family Camp while playing this childhood game. a.) Kickball b.) Tetherball c.) Red Rover d.) Spin the Bottle

28. 4 Generations of Infomercial Mania. What product did Elizabeth talk my dad into purchasing? a.) the Bowflex b.) the Magic Bullet c.) Showtime Grill d.) Time/Life Acid Rock cd set

29. Some Sentimental Observations. This person helped me start my garden. a.) my grandpa b.) my mom c.) Jason d.) Anonymous

30. Blog Stalker Revealed. I left which of the following messages on people's blogs? a.) you've been spied on by the blog stalker b.) gotcha c.) Just wanted to let you know I stopped by. d.) your mama

31. Potentially Great Ideas. I wanted to plan a last minute summer trip to a.) Kings Island b.) Cedar Point c.) Indiana Beach d.) the Gas City Speedway

32. Overindulgence or Necessity of Life. Elizabeth won this stuffed animal in the crane game. a.) brown bear b.) pink poodle c.) white lamb d.) bob the tomato

33. Cutting it Short. This post was dedicated to... a.) Thumper #1 b.) my mom c.) Bambi #4 d.) Anonymous

34. The Perfect Day. My perfect day included breakfast at a.) Cracker Barrel b.) Dennys c.) Bob Evans d.) Pump n Munch

35. Irony and the Sound of Music. This song reminds me of my seventh grade boyfriend. a.) Look Away by Chicago b.) All Out of Love by Air Supply c.) Had the Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing d.) I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett.

36. Novelty Items the Wuertley's Can't Live Without. This item was #1 on my list. a.) Clorox Bleach Pen b.) Flushable Wipes c.) Tupperware Chopper d.) toilet paper

37. A Day With Cousins. We went to this fair Friday Evening. a.) Indiana State Fair b.) 4-H Fair c.) Van Buren Popcorn Festival d.) Motorcycle Mania

38. Unpreparedness. What grade was I in when I forgot about my six weeks project? a.) 4th b.) 5th c.) 6th d.) kindergarten

see end of post for answer key

GRADING SCALE

35-38 Deb Wuertley must be on your link list. You visit her site at least daily, and quite possibly multiple times a day. If Deb Wuertley misses a day with her post, you feel as if your day is not quite complete. You post a comment almost every, if not every time.

25-34 You visit the Deb Wuertley, Overtly site purposefully. You may miss a day here and there, but you scroll down and skim entries you may have missed. You may comment if the post directly relates to you.

15-23 You link to Deb Wuertley, Overtly from another blog if you are doing some blog surfing. There are quite possibly entries that you have not read.

5-14 You stumbled upon Deb Wuertley, Overtly one night when you had absolutely nothing else better to do. Only when you are bored out of your mind do you visit the site; usually it is when you are going down JoEllen Hummel's link list to kill a few hours.

0-4 Who is Deb Wuertley, and why did she post the comment "Just wanted to let you know I stopped by" on my blog? What a weirdo.

answer key
1.b my husband
2.a game in the hall
3.b stairway to heaven
4.a anna with marker on her body
5.c my cousin
6.d a fellow blogger torches my home
7.a I would still work
8.b camping
9.c phobia about the dark
10.a golf
11.b a scripture verse
12.a spider solitaire
13.c maria
14.b disneyworld
15.c joel and jaena, my cousins
16.a tennis
17.b my brother's kids
18.b I am 31 years old
19.a Bob Evans
20.b church league softball
21.c zucchini
22.a napkins
23.b 37
24.a painting the cottage
25.c sunday school class
26.b jason
27.a kickball
28.b magic bullet
29.a grandpa
30.c just wanted to let you know I stopped by
31.a kings island
32.b pink poodle
33.a thumper #1
34.c bob evans
35.c had the time of my life
36.a clorox bleach pen
37.c popcorn festival
38.b 5th grade

HOW DID YOU SCORE???

Unpreparedness

Fifth grade, 1985, 10:00 p.m. I was drifting off to sleep in my bedroom when the feeling of dread washed over me - my six weeks social studies project was due 3rd period the next morning, and I had not even picked out what I was going to do from the list the teacher, Ms. Mankin, had given us. I was freaking out for several reasons - first, this was the day before open 24 hours a day Wal-Mart and the internet which could instantaneously generate information on any topic. Second, I was very conscientous about my grades, and for some reason social studies was giving me fits. The tests the teacher gave were multiple choice book tests, so all I had to do was read the textbook material and apply it. For some reason I would do poorly on those tests (one time I had studied extra hard, outlined the whole chapter, and still received a 60% - I remember excusing myself to the bathroom and bawling my eyes out.) I needed these project points to boost my grade. Third, how was I going to pull together a six weeks project with no resources in so little time? Thankfully I had parents who did not always live by that annoying saying "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Dad went to Hooks (probably the only store still open) and bought me some posterboard. Mom helped me pull out our old 1968 Collier Encylcopedias. I decided to do 3 informational posters on 3 of our presidents, cutting out pictures from the Encyclopedia and pasting them on top of the poster and drawing handwriting lines down below and filling them with information. I don't remember what time we all went to bed that night, but I did receive a B on the project, and another crisis was endured.

I have had 3 situations in the last 3 days where my lack of planning has really caused some inconvenience. My tomatoes are finally turning (yeah!) and what better meal to make with tomatoes than BLT's? I went to the store, bought bacon, lettuce, bread, and some watermelon, and after scrounging around in the garden for 4 ears of corn I missed when I did my main picking, we were set for a true summertime meal. The tomatoes were cut, the bacon was fried, the bread was toasted, the watermelon was sliced, the corn was boiling, all I needed to do was get out the mayo for the sandwiches. I open up the refrigerator, and what???? There was an empy bottle of mayonnaise in the side door. NO MAYONNAISE? I knew Jason had been the last to use it the night before when he made a chicken sandwich. The wrath of Deb was unleashed. "JASON!!!" I went on to tell him how frustrating it was to open the mayo only to find it empty and blah blah blah blah blah. I think what really happened was that he left it on the counter while he was eating, and in my haste to clean up the kitchen, I put it back in the refrigerator. Anyways, you can't have a BLT without mayonnaise, so dinner was put on hold while Jason ran (okay, he isn't training for the triathlon, so he actually drove) to Marsh and purchased some mayonnaise. Maybe it's just trouble with BLT's, but we had another ingredient crisis tonight. Uncle Jerry had given me some corn to fix, so I thought again, why not just finish up the bacon and lettuce and have BLT's again. The tomatoes were cut, the corn was boiling, the MAYONNAISE WAS ON THE TABLE, all that was left was to get the bacon...WHAT? Where were the other six slices of bacon left over from the other night? Well, come to find out, they were in the trash (we dug them out.) Who put them there, Jason or Deb? It's a mystery that will not ever be solved, but Jason once again made a Marsh run, again choosing to drive.

Last night was yet another example of poor planning. It was around 11:00 p.m., and we were getting ready to head to bed when Jason said, "How are you going to get your bike from your parents' house?" I was supposed to meet Shelli at 8:30 in the morning at the YMCA, and I needed my bike. The problem was I had forgotten that my bike was at my parents' house (I had kept it there since I had stayed with them last week and just trained from their house.) Jason was willing to hook up the trailer and go get it, but at this point it was 11:15, and I felt guilty having him pay for my lack of planning. So this morning, I got up early, stopped by Wal-Mart to buy a bike lock, went to my parents', left my car, rode my bike to the YMCA, and locked it up while we did our swimming. Then after we biked and ran, I rode my bike back to my house, Shelli picked me up after riding her bike back to the YMCA, and she took me to my parents' house to get my car. What an ordeal!

I have a recurring dream about being unprepared. I'm in a school setting, usually high school but sometimes junior high, and one of two scenarios happens. The most common one is that it is the first day of school, and I don't have my schedule, so I don't know what class to go to. I try to find my locker to see if I stuffed it there, but then I don't know the combination. The bell rings, everyone else heads to class, and I am stuck in the hallway. Sometimes I go to student services for a new schedule; sometimes I wander the hall. The other scenario is that I am class, and I either haven't studied for the test or I haven't done my homework. When I wake up from these types of dreams, a feeling of relief washes over me when I realize I am no longer in school, I am gainfully employed, and I don't have to worry about test scores and homework anymore.

Triathlon Training Update - Today was the heaviest training day we will have for the 8 week training period. We had to do 90 minutes of training, so we decided to break that up differently than 30 minutes for each. We decided to do the swim until we had done 500 yards (took us just under 20 minutes), then bike for 40 minutes and run for 30 minutes. We were a little overzealous on the bike, deciding while riding through Shady Hills that we would visit a friend of ours in Forest Ridge. Forest Ridge seems really close when going 60 miles an hour down St. Rd. 15. Not so close going 15 m.p.h. However, once we had committed, we kept going. Unfortunately, our friend was not home, so we rode back to town, stopped at Kismet's and got a drink, parked our bikes, and ran. We only ended up running 2 miles (20 minutes) due to our extended bike ride - we went around 9 miles on that leg (Shelli went more since she rode back to the Y, and I went more with my initial trip from my parents' to the Y. ) All together today, I swam the full 500, biked 14 miles, and ran 2 miles. So it is somewhat close to what we will do on THE DAY, minus the added pressure of swimming in open water and competing against other people.

A Day With Cousins

You would think by now I would be at least past the novice stage when it came to posting pictures - but I'm not. However, the main purpose of the blog tonight is to let Burke and JoEllen see what their daughter has been up to today while they were living it up in Idaho, so even though the pictures are a little out of order, and I wanted to start this post with an intro instead of a picture, the purpose will still be fulfilled. Last night my niece Maria spent the night (Anna's first official overnight guest - Kismet watched the girls yesterday for me, and when I went to pick them up, Anna came into the living room and said, "I said Maria could spend the night with us tonight) and today Caislyn spent some time with us, too. The picture above was taken by Maria - pretty good photographer, I think. I was glad to have some time with Caislyn today without Grandma or Mommy around so that she would hang out with me. I think she looked around at her options today (Anna, Maria, Elizabeth, or me) and figured I was the safest choice.

Pop Tarts and milk in the living room while watching cartoons - can it get much better? Hey, I don't get this chance very often to spoil my niece - I'm going to take advantage of it.

Anna drew the line on the paper to divide her "half" and Caislyn's "half." Probably I should have done the thing where one draws the line and the other chooses the side, but I'm not sure they get that concept, yet, and Caislyn didn't seem to mind. They are both using their left hand in this picture - great for basketball (and tennis.)

We went to the Van Buren Popcorn Festival in the evening with Caislyn, Grandma Wuertley, and the Womacks.

This was the "Bumpy Barrel Ride" - the kids loved it, and the adults got 7 minutes of free time (you can barely see Elisha in the back.)

This picture's a little blurry because the ride was spinning when I took it. I was pretty proud of my timing since the camera has a delay.

This picture is out of order - we made chocolate chip cookies right before lunch.

Caislyn with her Uncle Jason

JoEllen, in case you didn't know, Caislyn likes tomatoes! I picked this one for your mom and she let Caislyn hold it. Before we knew it, she had eaten about a third of it. She said she was hungry. She's so healthy. Jason tried to get her to eat all of her corn dog without success at the fair - she knows hot dogs aren't healthy for you. She needed some "real" food!

Novelty Items the Wuertleys Can't Live Without

Thursday night - my last official vacation night before school starts on Monday. On a previous post, I talked about not being sure how I would spend my last vacation day. This is how it is shaping up - Anna's teacher called yesterday, and we scheduled an 8:30 get acquainted conference for tomorrow morning - there goes two theories of how I would spend the day (sleeping late and staying in my pajamas.) Then Caislyn, my niece, is coming over to spend part of the day. The afternoon looks pretty open at this point, and then tomorrow evening, I think the plan is to head over to the Van Buren Popcorn Festival for some fattening fair food - just what I need the eve of our biggest training day! All in all, I think it will shape up to be a great last day of vacation. Enough intro, onto the post...

The other day I used an amazing little product for the first time - the Clorox Bleach Pen. I have had this cool tool since Christmas (got it in my stocking - can't wait until Christmas time to post about the unbelievable stockings we receive each year) but put it in the cabinet and left it until this particular day. What prodded me to dig my pen out was that I witnessed my mom use it on a shirt when we stayed with her last week, and the shirt came out of the wash with no stains. I have a big container of bleach, but it is such a pain to lug it out, grab something to apply it with (I usually use a toothbrush,) dilute it, and risk spilling it (my mom has a "great" story about this, and if she had a blog I'm sure she would have posted on it.) This pen eliminates all of the above inconveniences of the regular big container of bleach - I highly recommend it!

The Bleach Pen wins the award for favorite item on this list, but I am going to share about 9 other "honorable mentions."

1. Bag Balm. Yes, the container says it is for sore udders. But someone gave me a container for my baby shower for Elizabeth, and it works wonders on diaper rash (even the kind all ages can get.) I still have the original container that I received almost 7 years ago - I guess it doesn't expire since it still works. I can first hand tell you that this stuff works (I know, too much information.)

2. Paint tray liners. I am a cheapskate, but even I will spend 40 cents to not have to wash out my paint tray. In fact, last time I painted, I only used the liner because I had loaned out my tray, and it was sturdy enough. My paint tray cleaning days are over. I wish I was so frivolous with roller covers because I really hate cleaning those.

3. Wings. I "ALWAYS" make sure I have them. I remember the days before wings. I wonder if my daughters will look at the pre-wings days like we look at the belts our moms wore.

4. The Cutco vegetable peeler. I've tried generic peelers. I've used electric peelers. I have not tried the Pampered Chef peeler, if there is such a thing, so maybe it is as good. But if you are going to peel some vegetables, you want to be using the Cutco vegetable peeler. My mom as of two months ago was using a vegetable peeler that I am pretty sure she received as a wedding shower gift. I know I grew up with it, and it was stinky to work with back then. I had two peelers (doubled up wedding shower gift, but I'm not going to complain about receiving too much Cutco,) so one night after trying to peel carrots at her house, I had enough. The next time I saw my mom I gave her my extra peeler, and she is just as happy with it as I am. Need a nice wedding present suggestion? I suggest the Cutco vegetable peeler - and as a bonus, a paring knife comes with it in the set.

5. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Do you have unsightly stains on your countertop or walls? The Magic Eraser is another amazing product we keep in our house. I had stains on my countertop that were there when we bought the house, and when I scrubbed it down with the Magic Eraser, it looked like new. I can't say it has been 100% effective - it only dulled a marker streak on the wall (it was a dry erase marker.) But it will definitely pick up more than $1.99 worth of stains.

6. Starter logs for camping. The most stressful time of camping for me is the evening meal on the first night. We usually aren't pulling into the campgrounds until close to dinner time, and we need a fire going to cook the meal. Jason is more concerned about getting the camper set up; I am more concerned about preparing the meal. For various reasons we have had trouble starting a fire while camping - rain the night before that left the fire pit wet, green wood, lack of sticks/paper. Before family camp Jason found a couple of starter logs that my mom had put in his stocking a couple of years ago (did I mention I can't wait until Christmastime to post about the stockings?) He threw them in the camper, and one night at Family Camp when it had rained, he pulled the starter log out. We had no trouble starting the fire, and from now on, I am willing to pay 33 cents for a guaranteed quick fire. My mom has a problem with moderation sometimes. We asked her to bring us another starter log for the last night of camp, and she bought us a 24 pack. Guess we won't have to purchase starter logs for next season, either.

7. Lysol Wipes. Another must have for camping. Forget the inconvenience of a soapy rag. I just grab a couple of wipes, and the picnic tables are good as new. When we are packing up to go home, I take some wipes and "clean" the bathroom. I keep wipes in the car for when we go to restaurants with playplaces. I think the workers forget there are tables back there to clean, either that or there is such a turnover that there isn't time to clean, but we rarely can find a clean table at a playplace. Use some wipes, and the table is clean and sanitized. I haven't used the wipes at home as much since a soapy rag usually resides in the sink, but for out of home experiences, they come in handy.

8. The Tupperware (or Pampered Chef) Chopper. Forget crying while cutting up onions. Put your half an onion under the chopper, pound pound pound, and you have perfectly minced onions. The fun doesn't stop with onions - I've used it for garlic, tomatoes, green peppers, pecans, and I'm sure many other ingredients. Again, another nice wedding shower present, and it is all dishwasher safe, which is a must in my book.

9. Blue Coral Upholstery Cleaner found at Auto Zone. A big thanks to S.W. for suggesting this one. We had a little incident in the camper that involved non washable markers and a couple of three year olds, and club soda, Fantastik, and Lysol Wipes weren't doing the trick. Shannon suggested this product and it took care of pretty much all the marker stain. A couple weeks later we had an incident at home that involved white board paint (I do not recommend this product for any age - Elizabeth was even being careful and it still made a mess) and once again the Blue Coral came through for us and took care of a rather large blue stain on the carpet.

Just thought I'd share a few of these products with you - maybe you will find one of them useful. I would love to hear of any products you swear by that aren't listed above.

Triathlon Training Update - Today's agenda was to just run 30 minutes. I had to say "just" because it is amazing how this training plan is increasing my exercise stamina. When we first started this program almost 4 weeks ago, the thought of running 30 minutes straight was overwhelming - I'd never run more than a mile in a row, and that was back in college. I was still pretty tired after the run, but it is encouraging how my body is getting used to the distances. As for the destination of the run - I had forgotten that I needed to bring 2 rolls of paper towel and a package of paper plates to Anna's conference tomorrow morning. I thought, "Why not kill two birds with one stone?" So I put a literal meaning to the phrase "run to the store" and headed to Lances. Lances isn't that far away, but it's not across the street, either. I figured 10-15 minutes there, 10-15 minutes back, and if I had any extra time I would run around the block. It only took me 4 minutes to get there! I couldn't believe it - I was running at the pace we normally run. It takes me 4 minutes to drive there if I don't hit the light. So I'm thinking about running everywhere now since I can do it in about the same time. I figure with the rising gas prices, I am going to save a lot of money, and my car is still at General Tire. I haven't figured out yet what to do when the kids are with me.

Irony and the Sound of Music

I had to blab on yesterday's post about what I thought would comprise a perfect day. Of course what happened in response was that the next 24 hours from the posting of that post turned out to be far from a perfect day - in fact, it just hasn't been a good 24 hours. Immediately after I posted last night, I did a last check blog run of my links before heading to bed, and I came across my brother-in-law's new post regarding their doctor's appointment that morning with the triplets. He and my sister-in-law received some pretty disappointing news, and I went to bed last night with a heavy heart. Then I had to rise at 5:25 to do triathlon training, had quite a frustrating Wal-Mart trip that involved me being in a hurry to make an open house on time for work and getting stuck in the only open lane that wasn't self serve, and my reliable car I bragged about on my overindulgence post started making a horrendous noise on my way back to the office. I coasted into General Tire per Jason's orders, he met me and took me home to get the Jeep, our third vehicle that is paid for and pretty much sits in the barn until we have a dirty job to do or one of our regular cars is getting worked on. Jason headed back to work; I headed inside to do a few things before going back to the office. After doing a few chores, I hopped in the jeep, turned the ignition, and...it was dead. So I called Jason, he had to come back and get me, I dropped him off at work, and I took his car to my work. But since nothing too awful has happened since then, I decided to make my post topic about something other than the happenings of the day.

Ever so often I will hear a song on the radio that will remind me of a specific incident or situation from my past. I'm not talking about songs that remind me of major milestone events; obviously any time I here "All I Ask of You," I am going to remember our wedding. I'm talking about situations where if it weren't for the song, I would not have recollection of the memory. For example, while I was standing in line at Wal-Mart today for 20 minutes, I was listening to the music that was playing overhead, and on came the song "I Need a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. I was an avid Days of Our Lives viewer growing up. In fact, we would tape the daily episode since none of us were home during the day, and as a bribe to get me to practice piano, my mom would let me watch the day's episode after practicing for 30 minutes. There was a love story going on between Bo Brady and Hope I don't remember her last name (it's driving me crazy, someone help me out. Her dad was Doug, he was married to Julie, her mom Addie had died when she was a child.) As soap operas go, Bo and Hope broke it off, and Hope was set to marry Larry Welch, whom she did not love. On their wedding day, Hope is going down the aisle, and Bo is racing on his motorcycle towards the church to stop the wedding. This song "I Need a Hero" is playing in the background as Bo races into the church, Hope runs out, they chase through the woods, he tackles her to the ground, they wrestle for a bit, and then they fall into a passionate kiss. Of course as soap operas go, Bo and Hope end up getting married, splitting up, characters are written off the show, and I think at the present time the original actors are playing the roles once again, and they are split up.

"On My Own" by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald is another example. I was 11 years old, and the Marion Giants boys basketball team had just captured their third straight state title in 1987. My dad and brother must have headed to the gym for the after game pep rally, and my mom and I were in my parents' bed listening to the post game show on WBAT. The announcers signed off on the game, and the regular programming of seventies and eighties music returned. This song was playing as we lay in bed that night waiting for my dad and brother to get home. I think of that night every time I hear that song.

In seventh grade, I was "going with" a boy named Scott Pattison. The problem: I was not allowed to "go with" anyone in seventh grade. I didn't know how to tell my parents I had a boyfriend. I'm not really sure why I felt the need to tell them because we weren't actually going anywhere. I was sitting in my bedroom on the floor playing with a nerf ball when "I Had the Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing came on the radio. I can still feel the unsettleness and guilt I felt that night whenever I hear that song.

In eighth grade I stayed all night with my friend at her grandmother's house in Bluffton, and we went to the annual street fair. MTV was just becoming popular, and since it was not on at my house, I was pretty naive to music videos. However, MTV was on at my friend's grandmother's house (lots of teens were there) and I remember two videos distinctly: "Carrie" by Europe and "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna. I really liked "Papa Don't Preach" but felt pretty guilty about it because of the subject matter.

When I hear the song "American Pie" by Don MacLean, I think of riding early morning in the back seat during drivers ed. Mr. Jacob, my drivers ed teacher, loved Magic 95.1, and this song was guaranteed to play daily.

My senior year of high school I took Carin Vardamin to school each day. One morning, the song "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox came on the radio, and she said, "Oh, I love that song," and she started singing along. I hated that song, actually I still do, but since she loved it so much, I endured the agony (not of her singing, she has a great voice, but of the song.) I bet she doesn't even remotely remember that instance.

The summer between my sophomore and junior year of college was pivotal for me - most significantly Jason and I started dating during that summer, and even before we started dating, we were a part of a group that stayed on campus during May term. Our group had some really fun times - none of us were dating and probably all of us wanted to be (not necessarily each other.) One of our favorite past times was to sit around and watch VH-1 - this is when VH-1 predominately played soft rock and love song videos. We were all feeling pretty down about our love lives anyway, why not enhance the mood with some sappy songs. Our personal favorites, and to this day when I hear these songs I think of that May term and that group - "Tell Me I Was Dreaming" by Travis Tritt (really depressing video) and "Not Enough" by Van Halen.

I can think of several other instances, but for post length sake, I will stop. What I think is interesting about these songs is that I don't particularly like or dislike any of them (except the Walking on Broken Glass one,) they just remind me of certain memories. Another post I may do someday will be about songs that day after day, year after year, if I hear them on the radio or on a cd, I love them just as much as the first time I heard them. Some songs I will hear once and really like; then I run it into the ground by buying the cd and listening to it incessantly. But there are a handful of songs that every time I hear them, I just belt out the lyrics and get that funny, corny, emotional feeling inside.

Triathlon Training Update: Today was a milestone day for me - I successfully wore a pair of goggles for the entire swim time (30 minutes.) I have never been able to find a pair of goggles that don't let the water in. Jason and I went snorkeling on vacation one time, and I had a miserable time because water kept getting in my mask. On these goggles, I had unsuccessfully tried them before, but Jason swapped out the nose piece and they work perfectly. We followed the swim with a 15 minute run - pretty uneventful day.

The Perfect Day

Let me start off first by stating that I had no idea the controversy I was going to ignite with my previous post. Those of you who know me well know how much I abhor conflict, and I read with disbelief this evening the drama that had unfolded during the day. I guess that's one more practical joke gone bad I can add to my list. I momentarily thought this evening I would activate the command that does not allow anonymous comments (just for a day, of course, to be funny) but I have decided not to press my luck. Besides, I can take whatever anonymous dishes out...I know where she lives. While I know all has been addressed through the comments mode, I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to those who thought I had really been admonished by a stranger, and it did feel quite good to know you fellow bloggers "have my back." I am going to return tonight to the normal, albeit lengthy post that normally appears on my blog.

One day. I am down to one summer vacation day. I unofficially have to work all day tomorrow and Thursday, and I officially return to work on Monday, so Friday is my last hurrah. How will I spend that day? Will I sleep late, knowing that come Monday, the alarm clock goes off at 6:15? Will I spend the day in my pajamas, knowing come Monday, I am trading shorts and flip flops for dress pants and matching shirts? Will I fervently work around the house in a last ditch attempt to tackle projects that I had all summer to complete? Will I make it a fun day with my kids, planning one last big outing before we all head to school? I probably won't be able to answer these questions until Thursday night, but the thoughts of how I will spend that day led me to a relevant question - what is the perfect day? What if Jason, on Thursday night, said, "Deb, tomorrow is your day. Resources are not an issue. You can do whatever you want, spend whatever you want, go wherever you want, invite whomever you want, for the next 24 hours." Wow, what would I do? Assuming the time frame is from midnight Friday morning to 11:59 p.m. Friday evening, the first question is, how much would I sleep? Would I take full advantage of the 24 hours and choose not to waste a minute on sleep? Or would I decide to take advantage of an opportunity to sleep as late as I want, even if that meant until noon? The second question is, how much time to I spend on travel? I've never been to Hawaii, and I would love to visit, but do I want to waste 16 of my precious hours in an airplane? (I assume I have to be back home by 11:59, otherwise Jason won't let me do this again.) The third question is, with whom do I spend the day? I'm trying to keep a fair mind with this one - after a weekend of camping and a full day at Kokomo Beach, I've had my share of family bonding time, and a day without kids sounds great this evening. But if I am planning the perfect day, shouldn't it include the three most important people in my life? I pondered these thoughts as we sat by our firepit (we finished up our Manwich leftovers from this weekend and had Manwich Pies, just can't get enough of camping food I guess,) and what I came up with probably shows what a simple person I am. I am not adventurous, so I am not leaving the country. I am not cultured, so I am not heading to the big cities. I am not a dreamer, so I am going to do something that is actually possible. Here is my perfect day iteniary:

6:00 - Get up, and with camper already packed, the family piles in the car and takes off, pulling the camper.
8:00 - We stop for breakfast at Bob Evans, my favorite breakfast place, and I order a ham and cheese omelet and hot chocolate with whipped cream (did you know it's free refills?)
9:00 - We pull into Kings Island right at opening time, grab our map, and plan our strategy.
10:00 - The rides open, and starting slow, we are first in line at the Baby Beast (oops, forgot to mention that people are meeting us down there - our entire Sunday School class and both sets of grandparents and siblings/families; this is when my dad takes Anna on the Scrambler since she doesn't meet the height requirement)
10:00-5:00 - We ride rides till we can ride no more. Amazingly the crowds are down on this day, so the wait is no more than 5-10 minutes per ride. The wait has to be a little bit on the Beast, though, to build suspense. That's half the fun.
5:00 - 9:00 - I'm going shopping with whoever from the group wants to go - Cincinatti has to have a big mall. Oh, the kids aren't going, and Jason doesn't want to go - they are going to stay until close at Kings Island and enjoy more rides. Don't worry, the grandparents are going to stay, too, to ride rides with Anna while Jason takes Elizabeth on the "big" rides. I am going to get some school clothes for all three of us, and I may even go out on a limb and get Jason a few things, too. I love to shop for clothes, especially for the kids.
9:00 - We leave the mall, it closes at 9:00.
10:00 - We're at the Kings Island Campground. The whole group is camping there, Jason has our camper all set up, the kids have been bathed and are in their beds watching a video (I would say asleep, but I want to kiss them tonight,) a campfire is going, and we are going to have pies.
10:00 - 11:59 - We sit around the fire, laughing, eating, well, doing what we do around the campfire. Since Jason and the kids are with me, I don't have to be home at midnight.

There you have it. Maybe not very imaginative. Maybe not too ambitious. But for me, perfect.

Triathlon Training Update - Strength day today, which since I missed the Y again, looks like situps and pushups. Hope Shelli doesn't think I'm a slacker when she reads this, but for me, strength day is almost as good as rest day.

Cutting It Short

Anonymous commented on my last post that my posts are too lengthy, so out of respect for him/her, this is my post (or lack thereof) for tonight. (And this post is dedicated to Thumper #1, may he rest in peace - thanks for bringing up such a great memory!)

Triathlon Training Update - Today we had to do a 40 minute bike ride (rode 8 miles) followed by a 10 minute run. My softball game started at 8:15, and we are supposed to be at the game 15 minutes early, so when I started the bike ride at 7:15, I knew I was going to be cutting it short. Since my bike was at my parents' house, which is about 5 minutes from the ball diamond, I decided I would ride my bike, end up back at my parents' house, start running towards the ball diamond, and then they would pick me up on the way. The problem with this strategy - Elizabeth and my dad got involved in a competitive game of dominoes, and my 10 minute run turned into more like 15. So I was late to the game, Kelley benched me once again due to my tardiness (I really am sorry Kelley, I promise I won't be late next game - I know it affected my performance) and Dad and Elizabeth are grounded. However, someone much more talented than I played short field, we won our game 6-1, and we are into the quarterfinals slated for next Monday.