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| new wheels and yard work |
After years of resistance, we finally bowed to the circumstances of a busy 5-person family and bought a second vehicle, and our driveway is now perma-crowded. We were on a tight timeline, and finding something that fit the budget and two tall drivers was challenging; we ended up buying a Highlander - a vehicle that wasn't much on our radar due to its hefty price tag. Long story short, we found one that is a bit older but in good shape (hopefully) and the kicker is that it FITS us, and there's room to spare for the kids even when the driver's seat is maxed back. We picked it up this morning and made for Kilally Meadows where we enjoyed a walk in the woody meadows before catching a bit of baseball and heading home for lunch.
I haven't posted since last week (or the week before - ?) - so some news of the triathlon is due; I finished it and loved it! I mean let's be honest, I didn't
looooove every second of it but the challenge was welcome and being part of a big event was great, and I really felt like I accomplished something at the end of the race (and it was only 10:30 - the entire day lay ahead!). The swim wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though I was fairly slow; I had a hard time finding the right gear and rhythm on the bike, but it wasn't too taxing (this might mean I didn't push myself hard enough); and the run was tough - my legs were heavy and I had a hard time getting into a rhythm with pace and breathing there too. I finished in just over 1h 22min and came 20th in my age category (35-39). The best part about it all - okay wait there are a few best parts: 1) I made working out a priority pre-race; I didn't want to be completely unprepared - so this meant exercising 3x/week. 2) I hung out with friends - this means lots of laughter and good talks and quality time together (yay). I signed up for another one in September, so I need to do my best to improve fitness levels so I can push myself a little more.
A few more events that are noteworthy include last night's role exchange; Hendrik and Alana played mom and dad and tucked us into their beds before coming downstairs to "do jobs" ("like blogs"). Unfortunately they didn't do the laundry (though they probably would have tried) and I fell asleep in Alana's bed without brushing my teeth only to be awaked by some of their upstairs-and-downstairs shenanigans. They were reaaaaally cute emulating our nightly activities and commentary on behaviour that is much wilder than Steve and I as kids (we just wanted to go to sleep!): Alana said, "I'll just be down the hall in case you need me" and Hendrik came with a charged up glow-in-the-dark book to show us (but we were both half asleep and not interested). Alana changed her mind and bunked up with me in her single bed (squish) and Hendrik and Steve slept in our bed. I think they had tons of fun, and I personally enjoyed being in bed at 9:30...
Lastly, we finally had a ceremony next door to celebrate George the cat's life - one that came to an end several months ago. Liz had us over for the full ritual with mucho involvement for the kids; Hendrik dug a hole and Alana helped prepare the offerings (food, gems, candles), and then everyone played instruments and sung kumbaya and talked about George before Liz deposited his ashes and covered them up. But what I must mention is the note Hendrik wrote on a typewriter that Liz gave him earlier in the day. It belonged to her grandfather, and after years in her garage she felt that it deserved a new home - in ours! Hendrik lugged it over here and the two of us got it figured out on the back porch before he typed out the following letter:
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| "rip here lays the cat named george" |
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| this one loves being a big sister :) |
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| new to us - 1920s typewriter, and the ink still works! |
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| prep |
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| musical march |
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| in he goes (i wonder what the kids were thinking about at this moment...) |
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| captain underpants, of course 💛 |
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| this is what happens when i clean |
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