Weather

Believe it or not I am still here. Although our work outs are not intense, they are taking time. Tonight I am swimming at Dynamo. The water is warm, but the building is a bubble. Think no insulation. Not very motivating to strip down and jump in the water. But I have!

Running and biking in the cold seem much easier. Two weeks ago we were still recovering from snow and ice, so we met in Alpharetta for a group spin and brick. What I liked about it: I got to know that I am doing it right in the intervals I was setting for myself all along! Yea! Plus I got to meet a few more of my teammates.

And finally last Saturday we got to ride...on open road...as a team. It was cold, but great. As long as you dress appropriately you are OK. Carlos was thrilled as he finally got to join us. He was ready! Ready to ride or rob a bank...most of us were.

I love the team.

Birthday Card

My parents sent me two cards this year from my birthday. Well - my dad found one in New Zealand and mailed it off. It wasn't a birthday card per say, but it meant a lot when I received it. It is, as is often rare with cards, a keeper. It is sentimental and personal, which is not often openly expressed within my family. More on that later. First, the second card.

My mom send a second birthday card with a penguin on front.

in it she stated that the look on the penguin reminded her "of the look of triumph as I completed [my] challenges and runs."










If you compare it to my facebook profile picture

Yeah - I can see the comparison. I have no problem being compared to a penguin! They are pretty cute and capable animals.


Dad's card made me think. Mom's card made me think. I put the two together, and came up with something I wanted to say. Loudly.

I know that my parents do not always understand me. But the fact that, even though they do not really understand why I love endurance sports, they see and know that participating in them makes me very happy. And that also in turn, makes them happy and proud.

And that made me think about something I know, and have always known, but rarely verbalize. I know that my parents' love for me and my brother and my sister is unquestionable, undeniable, and never ending.

I know that they truly want all three of us to be happy in life in the manner that is best for us. So, even if they do not love endurance sports, they know it makes me happy. And they support me. They know that I have found a terrific group of people that have brought a lot of joy, understanding and appreciation of life with Team in Training, and they support me and LLS because of it.

My parents never really gave much instruction I would say. They pretty much let us make our own decisions, and we had to accept the results of the decision.

But they were always there to help. They would help us such that we could focus on the tasks at hand.

And so I am grateful. And here today I say thank you to my parents. Thank you for the birthday cards (this year and so many others). And thank you for all the love you have selflessly given to me. Thank you for the support in the so many countless ways you have shown it over my 35 years: early mornings, long drives, staying home so I could go out with the car, worrying, celebrating and letting me move on and so many more that I can not list. Thank you.

A few last thoughts for 2010

I have been quiet on the blog lately. Chalk that up to changing jobs and no longer having a computer with me at all times. I have to use our home computer, and it just isn't as convenient. But - that's just the beginning of the changes at the end of this year.

Last Monday I started a new job. So far it is slow - but it takes awhile to learn the basics of a large organization. However, I can say that so far I love the people I have been fortunate to work with - even though I am working from home and do not have much face time. I can sense, though, that the job will pick up fast. So, this was a good week to start as most places take a bit of a breather the week between New Year's and Christmas.

Working from home has its challenges. I am very grateful to have IronTeam starting next week as I can already tell if I didn't have something to force me out of the home I could easily rarely leave the house for long periods of time. That would be very bad!

Another challenge is that my office is the dinner table. This is adjacent to the living room and the TV. Not a problem except when Carlos comes home from work he likes to watch ESPN and soccer for a bit before heading to the gym. I think we can handle it. But...it is now an extra incentive to get our current home sold and find a place that is a bit bigger. That and needing a place to store books (Carlos), bikes (both of us) and tri-gear (me). I try to keep my stuff to a minimum but tri gear has a life of its own.

I got to spend Christmas in Guatemala. To say it was amazing is selling it short. It was not just the fireworks let off all over the city at midnight, it was also celebrating with a part of Carlos' family. Christmas Eve we were with his brothers at their home. It was quiet but very good: we played board games (we may not speak the same language, but we can play board games), ate tamales (different from Mexican tamales), opened gifts and watched the fireworks.

Christmas Day we spent with a part of Carlos' extended family. That was a treat. It was the first time I have ever really been a part of a large family gathering where there are three generations and people of many age groups/ranges who all have a history together. My family is small, and we do not really do large family gatherings. I know those of you who do have large family gatherings may not see my point of view, but it was something to me.

It was something to watch the children play. Santa and Mama Clause came for a visit too. I will tell you right now - I love getting to go to Guatemala.

2010 was a wonderful year for me. I grew in ways I never envisioned, and formed deeper friendships than I thought possible for me. I also made many more acqaintances which thrills me. These are the seeds of a future. The basic roadwork to not isolating myself. Yes, cyber friendships are also "safe" in that most often you can reply and chat on your own time (i.e. you are not asking someone to stop doing something else to listen to you - something I loathe to do). But...it's a start. And, as the saying goes, the longest journey starts with a single step.

2011 is off to a bang up start. I feel like I started the year behind. All I can do is take deep breaths and do the best I can. Let's hope I keep up on-line a little better then I ended 2010.