Tri-Dogmom

Thank you to Erin who sent me this quote - I can't seem to get it out of my mind, it's perfect. "Even the most domesticated animals remind us what it is like to be wild, to be gentle, to be loyal, to trust, to flourish, to slow with age, to die. They connect us with something fundamental in our beings -- and we are the caretaker of that connection." Last night was perfect, everything we needed. Calm waters, the beach to ourselves, a pitcher of margaritas and the tide heading out to take her away. I can't express the sadness we felt, but also relief that we were able to give Miss Abby what she deserved after the best possible life she could have. While it was short and unfair she absolutely lived it up while she was with us... My boys playing together, priceless. Somehow this boy of mine knows exactly when I need him. It was exhausting for all of us - after we got b ack to the house Baxter fell asleep with his baby "Abby" given to him by the sweet swee...

Just 24 more hours and you will be set free on Bubba's beach, baby girl....

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention." ~ Oscar Wilde Last week was a whirlwind. My emotions were all over the place with a big hole in my heart. My first and most important goal was to focus on my bubba , and keep him happy. It turns out he's been doing the same thing for me. He hasn't left my side, he is happy when he needs to be, sad when he thinks I'm not looking. He's trying to fill the void. He's playing with toys, and has adopted Abby's "baby." He's bringing the smile back to my face every time I look at him. A big thank you goes out to so many people that have gone above and beyond with their thoughts, kind words and sympathies. You know who you are. Emails, blog comments and facebook notes. And, a special big thanks to some real good people that made some impromptu visits to the house filled with gifts to make Baxter forget, to cheer him up. Right now there could be nothing more special than ke...

Unfortunately this isn't going to be my happy memory, favorite pictures post...but it is coming, I can't wait to get to that part. For now I've ignored all the questions and sympathies and I just wanted to put out there this one time what happened. It was one of the worst 24hours of my life and I hate that I remember it so detailed. Monday morning I headed out with Baxter & Abby for a 40min run. My HR seemed to be running high and we were all just kinda sloshing thru. It wasn't too hot out so I actually had more than enough water for all of us and made a couple of extra stops to give the dogs extra drinks. Truth be told not one of us were exactly pushing the pace, more like sloshing thru the minutes. I went about my normal routine checking email having my protein shake and letting the dogs settle down about an hour before I fed them. I could hear one of them making a funny noise behind me and turned to see what it was. Abby was curled up on the dog bed just sta...

9 years ago I was living in an apartment in Scottsdale. My roommate and I were training for the Monaco Marathon. I was out for my typical morning run in the dark and when I got home I was stretching and doing some core work. I turned on the TV and watched as they showed a live feed of one of the planes crashing. To be honest, I don't remember much after that. Everything was consumed over these events. Everyone's lives were changed in some way or another. Our training group had diminished into about half of the size. People were afraid to travel. I'm not sure if it was my young age and being slightly naive, but I'd be lying if I said the thought of NOT going even crossed my mind. It was 9/11 and our travel plans were to leave to Europe the week of Thanksgiving. We had trained for this huge event for several months, and most importantly raised thousands of dollars for UCP. I was not backing out now. Of course I didn't blame those who decided not to travel. A lot of pe...

"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."--H. Jackson Brown I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I mean, what else do you do when you are recovering and used to feeling completely exhausted and having most of the hours of your day and week planned out. Well, that or eating, which unfortunately is still pretty high up there.... Ironman Canada was an experience of a life time. I worked hard, I met amazing people through the training journey and I found an awesome coach that brought out the best in me. While the 4am calls were getting a little old, truth be told I already miss it all. It's only been just over a week, and I guess if I didn't already have a packed schedule for the first half of next year I'd have what they call the post ironman blues. Don't lie...you all know you've had some sort of form of them... We get hooked on the endorphins,...

Grab a comfy chair - as much as I am trying to make this short and sweet, it is Ironman.... Pre-race: We arrived in Vancouver with ease and ready to roll. Just a couple little hiccups with directions and an extra trip to the US Border (oops), but Wed evening we were safely parked in our rental home ready for a good night sleep. We eased into Thursday heading down to pickup a few things from IM Village, but decided to wait for Lindsay and register on Friday. The water was like glass and I was itching to get in to do a pre-race swim. Unfortunately the weather turned and we got our bikes and gear bags picked up just in time to hurry home and out of a big storm that shut everything down! At least we got to loosen up the legs a little with run. The Utah crew arrived Thursday evening and we all met up for some dinner. I got to meet some more Utah Bad A@@ athletes (do they just BREED athleticism in Utah?) and we had a yummy dinner. Friday we headed down to register in the am and I final...