Hiking, Biking, and Bald Eagles

Went on vacation last week to a beautiful State Park in Wisconsin...Governor Dodge. We love coming to this park because there is so much to see and do.



We fished and caught 20 or more "keepers" fried them up and everyone but me ate it. There is a wonderful swimming beach where you can rent canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, and just swim.

There are numerous trails to hike and bike on. I did my 8 mile run on the Military Ridge Trail. It was an awesome run! Gotta train for that half marathon which is quickly approaching.



One thing that is great about camping is having a few cocktails around the fire or when there are driving rains for 5 hours straight...drinking a few beers is how to pass the time. Thank goodness for a camper that has a DVD player...phew! The kids were entertained for a while. We had 2 days of terrible rains in the afternoon...like 5 or 6 hours of rain and it was a very COLD rain. I was bundled up like it was October or something.

There were a lot of nice days too. The days we biked were great. My youngest even did an 8 mile ride one day. She told me she was in training for a triathlon in August. She is so funny.

I will post some more pics tomorrow. I have a couple of pics I wanted to save for Wordless Wednesday. The kids outside of the natural spring house.

This girl loves to pose for me. I love her teeth and how they are coming in so nicely!

A day at the beach...playing football...that is hubby and E in the background.

I saw some bald eagles flying around the lake...wish I could of gotten a closer shot. I do have others, so we will see. They are such beautiful birds. Maybe if you click on it, it will be larger.

***Side note*** My youngest 2 kids are on vacation this week with their cousins. Looks like Teenage girl and I will be doing some bonding. I just hope she doesn't convince me to break the bank. :)

Vacation was awesome! I have so much to share and some good pictures too. I have been busy reading what I missed since last week.

Real quick...I am training for the half marathon in Chicago and I ran my longest run to date. I ran 8 miles! I was so proud I was practically crying! Next week is my 9 miler...that is scary, but I will do it!

Tomorrow I will download pictures and hopefully catch up even more.

A Graying Issue

My mind is working overtime right now. I am feeling a lot of anxiety over this pressing issue that is weighing on me. My oldest daughter has a cell phone and today while cleaning I decided...hey...let me check to see what she has been up to. Let me say I didn't like what I was reading in her text message history.

I need to confront her and talk to her. The hardest thing is that some of the people in her history are kids we know personally and who were bullying her if you will. This is all over some boy that she liked and for some reason it all went sour and now she (my daughter) won't tell me what happened and NOW I have to find out the scoop.

This teenage thing is killing me. She won't even turn 13 until October. Why did she have to grow up so quickly? And how can I stay sane and calm for the next 7 years?

Do other people read their child's phone history? I do pay the bill...Is is snooping? I am so confused and upset and don't want this to blow up. HELP!!

A Day With The Girls

Took the train to Chicago yesterday with some of my favorite girls. My sister and mom. We went down there to spend the day with my youngest sister on her 27th birthday. It was a great day in the city. Temps around 80 and no humidity. Wonderful!

Happy Birthday Laurie!

Took the water taxi...never did that, it was very cool. I will be going down again in a couple weeks with my oldest daughter to have a day out with just her.

My sisters and me.

Those cocktails were so full of liquor we couldn't hardly drink them. What a waste for $9.75 a drink. So we ordered beer instead.

This photo of my mom, me and my sister made me laugh. It looks like I have some sort of boob job or something. I look huge. It must be the shirt. Hubby loved it!

Didn't do a whole lot of shopping, just walking, people watching and enjoying eachother's company!

Yesterday the weather was perfect, today I need a heavy sweatshirt! High of 65 today...WTH? I guess I will save on my electric bill...no AC needed.

It's All About The Climb

As I was running this morning, I was doing some thinking about how in the world am I going to do this Half Marathon that I signed up for in September. ( Not in that negative kind of way)

First, I am hoping and praying the weather was like it was today...overcast, slight breeze, no humidity, and beautfiful temperatures. I felt so good this morning. I could of ran and ran.

Second, I have to stop thinking about how fast I need to go, instead I have to focus on running miles and time, not SPEED. Usually I am all about the speed. I have to slow down and focus on the distance.

Third, I know I can do it. I just have to stay focused and go with my training plan. I am also going to journal this. I think it will inspire me when I am feeling like I may give up or having a bad day.

Finally, I am going to put together a playlist that will help me rock all the way through. That Keith Urban is what I find worth running too. He is awesome...everytime I listen to Sweet Thing...I cry...not sure why, but it is just a cool song.

Any other tips? Has anyone else done a half and want to share their strategies? I am doing this thing on Sept. 13th in Chicago along with my sister, BIL, BF and her husband. My hubby is doing the 5K...he has no interest at this point to run that far. Maybe one day he will change his mind.

Trek Tri

This is the lowdown on race day...
Swim: 17:55
Bike:42:05
Run:26:52

Overall with transition...1:32 minutes
109 in my age group out of 477. I thought it was good. I did beat my time from last year by 6 minutes! Hubby was there taking pictures. The only thing he missed of me was the run...camera was on the wrong setting and before he could figure it out...I was finished. Oh well, next time.

Getting ready to bike out..... (1247)

Going out....

We finished! My sister, BF, and me!! Rock on Girls we did it!!

Summing it Up

What a great day we had at the local zoo. E and A...sisterly love. E's front tooth is FINALLY coming in after being toothless since last Sept.

E and the bird eating off of her stick.

A and the bird.

B and the bird.

We went to a local zoo on Wednesday and had a great time. The kids loved the feeding frenzy of the bird cage.

Just got back from a great time in Northern Wisconsin. We fished, swam ( just a little because it was NOT optimum swimming weather), drank, shot off fireworks, canoed, and played outdoor games.

Just one sidenote...Alyssa (oldest daughter) and I make HORRIBLE canoe partners. I thought I was going to throw her overboard. At one point that cute girl with the black visor in the pictures above got out of the canoe and said I HAD ENOUGH OF THIS and started walk upstream of the river. What a nut job! This was our second attempt at being canoe partners, last year it was just as bad if not worse, so I guess the next time we try to be canoe partners...it has to be a CHARM!

It is my race weekend ahead. I am competing in the Trek Women's Sprint Triathlon Series. I finished my last training session this morning. I did a mini brick. I think the only thing I will do is swim in the lake tomorrow and then rest up!! I am excited...my goal is to beat my time from last year. Hubby will take pictures and the kids will cheer me on. That is the best when you come into the finish line.