Fun in fall

Look over there...enjoy the beauty. I love fall. Fall is the best time of year, no questions, no debates, I am right. And in Austin and now in San Francisco--not too much in terms of fall. So these past two weeks I've been outside of SF and have totally relished the colors, temperatures, leaves on the ground, blowing in the wind and this amazing time of year. Spending time in Napa, California for a full day we traveled around and jaw dropped at how the grapevines leaves actually change colors like the trees. The valleys and hills overflowing by grapevines are now all sorts of shades of red, yellow, orange, green and a combination of them all. What a magical time of year. The pictures don't do justice so the memory will have to last.

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My last race before the BIGGY was this weekend. In Santa Cruz, CA. A beach town with the race having a hawaiian theme. Massive fog rolled in and cancelled the swim--pretty happy about that, b/c you literally couldn't see anything, needless to say the first buoy. Would have been a mess of frantic racers running (well, swimming) into each other. So we had to run to transition from the swim exit and it was freezing, so running barefoot across cold pavement for a 1/3 mile was concerning for frostbite. Took my time (as usual) in transition. On the bike, was pretty much going 90%, trying to hold little back for the run. I wanted to see where I was fitness-wise. Set a PR on the bike and somewhat hilly course. Once the fog lifted, the hills with free roaming cows and crashing waves against the cliffs were in view. What a great race so far. Got back to transition leading my friends and husband (competitive?...hum?) felt good. Running out, took about two miles to get comfortable. That was a little dissapointing, I was expecting to spring off the bike and into my run. Once I got my running legs, I started to get into a groove, but the run was suppose to be "completely flat" but suprised with all the ups and downs this had. Anyway, getting into a groove moving to a high at mile 6-8, saw two of my friends and Mark, I was crusing. Getting stoked about Florida. Mile 10 I saw I was on pace to set a pretty good PR on the run. Keeping Florida in mind I started slowing down, taking my time at aide stations, and even walking a bit. This was welcomed--after mile 10, I needed a break, it started to be a little bit harder to keep one foot in front of the other, so rather than mentally chugging through it, I let myself walk and feel okay with it. I needed it. So I saw the finish and the beach run into the chute was really unique. Nothing like running through sand in tennis shoes and already have blisters and feeling like you aren't going anywhere racing the guy in front of you. I made it, again, in front of all my friends and Mark! :) That was a first and enjoyed it! With all that, I still ended up setting a PR on the run. Wow, so the message is: train for an IM and do a 1/2 IM and it will feel like a strong race and set a PR without trying. Honestly, it wasn't as "easy" as I wanted it to be, I still had to push myself and mentally get through it, but it went by much faster than any of the others and the word of the day was "strong." I felt really strong and that was very liberating. IM 12 days away.

Goals, Dun dun dunh...

Soa, yeah, about those goals...let's see where I'm at. Keeping myself accountable! I've learned over the years not to set goals that are unachievable or will cause me to create unbalance in my life. My number one priority with going back to work has been still keeping a positive work life balance. I love what I do and I love working with kids, but I also enjoy playing hard. I think I keep the mentality of "don't work harder, just work smarter". Instead of "work hard to play hard", I like to think I "work smart to play hard"! I JUST REALLY LIKE TO PLAY! I've also learned to adapt to different situations life throws at you and change plans when needed. Enough rambling - back to the goal check in. The goal I set at DTC was to achieve and maintain an A1C of 6.5% or less by March 2010. Nice - no time crunch (well planned) and I've really made some great progress towards cruising down the road of lower A1C's. I've noticed since going back to work that I may have less time to test during the day but I can predict where my blood sugars are going to end up. It's amazing how dialed in my basals and ratios are - it makes life a lot easier and I feel "less diabetic" because it's less of a worry. I think I've been averaging right around 110 throughout the days. I guess it helps I'm a huge creature of habit and my daily schedule stays the same Monday through Friday. I can't say I've taxed my system with crazy 8 hour workouts lately but I've been hitting the gym for an hour every morning before school. Every day too - alarm goes off at 5:10 and I'm at the gym at 5:30 with no complaints. My main goal remains the same but the action steps I've taken to strive towards my goal have been adapted to fit my needs better now. Flexibility - that's the key! And I'm not talking touching your toes and turning yourself into a pretzel - I'm a long ways from that! Just one huge goal - that's the way I like it. Not too many goals or else I can't be flexible enough to accommodate the unforeseen circumstances that often arise in life!

Chaotically Peaceful....

Okay, I fully realize that is a bit of an oxymoron; however, it is one of the things that best describes me :o) I have been praying and thinking (maybe over thinking) what my goals will be for the next several months to come...I have realized that thinking that far into the future may be a little much. I do know that the following is true of things I would like to accomplish:

1. Lose the 6-8 lbs that I somehow gained back at DTC?? Figure that one out..
2. Complete another Sprint Tri...may be doing one Nov 14th at FSU...we'll see
3. Complete a 1/2 Marathon
4. Complete an Olympic distance Tri
5. Find meaningful PART-TIME work in the Diabetes Field (God willing)
6. Go back to school
7. Continue to make my marriage & children my #1 priority!!!
8. Oh yeah, and allow my foot to heal up...I have plantars fascitis :o(

I commend you both for knowing your positive characteristics!! I actually had to think about that one for a while...I think as a mom and wife of now almost 13 years, you tend to put yourself on the back burner at times. When you both get there, you can let me know if that's true for you too (haha).

So, here it is...only positives:

1. Driven
2. Adventurous
3. Humorous (some may call it smart-assism)
4. Bright (not like a light bulb)
5. Open minded
6. Caring/loving
7. Honest
8. Beautiful (at the risk of sounding prideful)

Kate, I'm so glad you are enjoying teaching...my oldest will start middle school next year, so it's nice to hear that they're still considered small and cute at that age.

Holly, what is it, 2weeks?? I can't wait to see you there. My mom & stepdad are going to be camping in the area so they can see my boys do their tri on Sunday...I'm hopeful that they will want to check out the Ironman events too.

Stay well...chat again soon.

Youthful...

So I'm part way through my first week of actually having kiddos in my classroom and I'm loving it! I'm teaching a two hour block of math & science to 6th graders (boy are they little, cute, and mostly innocent) and two 8th grade math classes. Now the 8th graders, that's a different story! They're great though and I'm loving the school I'm a part of. Enough of the job talk...that's not really why I want to blog. Yeah, my job's a part of me - but I can talk to just about anybody about being a teacher and they'll understand. Underpaid, long hours, hilarious kids - everyone knows that! Unfortunately that's not the same thing with diabetes - I just can't talk to anybody because only select few really understand what it means to live with diabetes. That's why I LOVE THIS BLOG!

I love knowing that my "blog buddies" are out there, reading my blogs. I love knowing my "blog buddies" are waiting for my responses to their posts. We're in this adventure of living with diabetes together and together we'll prove to the world that we live with diabetes while we accomplish great things! Here's to us - "blog buddies"!

Holly - "She's a triathlete - what are you?" I can't even believe that guy said that... How the hell could he even begin to compare his wife and her feats to what you have lying in front of you. It's impossible I think! You're not just a triathlete - your much more than that and that's the great part. I think we formed a pretty instant connection at camp and my favorite people usually share a lot of the same characteristics in personalities that I do - hmmmmm....

Kat - I'm amazed by the apparent focus that you've put on your life and your diabetes. It's great that you and your husband prioritized you focusing on your running and your triathlons and have given yourself a break from work to focus on what is going to guide you forward. So you've bagged your first Sprint Tri - what's next? Keep up your training and I'm sooo excited that you and Holly will be able to connect in Florida in just a few short weeks. I only wish I could be there!

Here are 8 words to describe myself (only positive):
1. Energetic
2. Driven
3. Youthful
4. Smart
5. Caring
6. Organized
7. Adventurous
8. Dedicated

How about you?!?!

-Cottonmouth Kate...

"She's a triathlete"

Coming up in the elevator of my apt complex you sometimes find yourself with some interesting people. About a month ago, a man saw me looking at my gps watch and asked me what I was training for. I told him then he said he was training for his first marathon and it was in about 3 weeks and guess WHY he was doing it?! For JDRF (his friends' son was just diagnosed)! GET OUT! He was raising money for our charity guys! What a great guy!
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Forward ahead, tonight coming up from the gym, I was wearing my Austin Triathlon shirt and this dressed up couple was in the elevator. The guy looked at this woman and said, "she's a triathlete, what are you?" said in a very condesending way, she laughed (they might have been drinking and he was just making a joke). Nevertheless, it got me to thinking----how would I describe myself to people? This fired me up to blog and think about it. Here are 8 words to describe myself (only postives):
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1. Reliable
2. Adventurous
3. Caring/supportive
4. Realistic
5. Determined/stubborn (oops, positives!!)
6. Feminist (well, equality)
7. Saver
8. Passionate (about ideas)


How bout you??????

Peace out,
LL-LANCET

Excited to Inspire...

I guess I understand what it's like to go from 0 to 60 in a really short amount of time. Last time I blogged I was waiting to hear back from a few teaching jobs and now I'm gainfully employed and find I have a lot less time on my hands! It's all great though and I can't complain at all. Last week Monday I started at Denny International Middle School as a 6th/8th grade math & science teacher. I'm really excited because this is the first school where I feel a strong sense of support from the administation. I think administrative support is key to the success of any school. I feel so incredily lucky to be employed. Although last week was crammed with learning logistics about the school, introducing myself to teachers and students, and getting my classroom all set up, I felt like I truly appreciated the opportunity to finally get to do what I've been wanting to do since we got back to Seattle. I'm really looking forward to inspiring kids in the classroom and hopefully making positive impacts in the lives of kids who really need someone who cares. I found myself pausing many times during the days and just feeling fortunate. I honestly can't wait for next week when I have kids in my classroom! As for diabetes stuff, my blood sugars were rock solid last week and I don't think I could have done any better with my control. I've started working out at 5:30am so I can get a solid hour workout in before I have to go to school and I successfully got out of bed at 5:10 all five mornings last week. I feel as if my priorities in life are set. Over the past few years I've learned to focus on myself first before I can be the shining teacher I want to be. It hasn't always been easy but I know that if I eat healthy, exercise everyday, and set strong boundaries for the amount of time I put into my teaching, I'll be a better teacher and role model than I otherwise would be. I'm only a week into this new job but there are many things about it that just feel "right". My blood sugar average last week was 123 and my sensor average was 105 - I think I finally feel the rewards of all of the hard work I've put into analyzing what's going on with my numbers since coming back from camp. In a way things are more predictable and I can cruise at 80-100 for most of the day without worrying. We just came back from the Seattle Underground Tour downtown with Erik's parents who are in town and we've been having a great time with them! It's nice to have family in town and over the years I feel like I've grown closer to them. Tomorrow we have a chocolate factory tour with them at Theo - my absolute favorite organic & fair trade chocolate! I have to admit I've been on the tour with almost every out-of-town guest who has come to visit and it's always a great excuse to nibble on chocolate. Mmmmmmm. Maybe we'll have to do a get-together in Seattle next spring and go to Theo - just a thought! Ok, now that I've blogged I have to go back and read your posts so I can respond to what's going on in your lives!!! Hope all is well and I promise to blog, even when life gets busy!

Thinking...maybe a little too much

So, I was thinking about everything today. This weekend I watched the Kona Ironman on video and was totally in a transe like mode with the whole coverage. Then I found youtube video of the previous years (what I grew up watching with my dad) but I watched the past two years of Kona...and again was totally mesmorized by the stories. Everyone has their own story and there were many people coming back after catastropic injuries and some who have some disability or challenge to overcome. All to do an Ironman and accomplish the unthinkable to themselves and others. Realizing their greatness got me started thinking. Getting nervous actually. Would I be able to do it like these people did? Am I mentally ready? Has my training put me in a good place? Am I strong enough all around to do this beast? Why do I have such doubt? The odds are so weighted in my favor yet I have this massive doubt? I've trained well, completed each distance of all three sports before, plus followed a training plan consistantly for the past year. When I was getting ready for work I thought to myself, how many people at work know I am doing this beast? I could probably count on one hand. Why is that? First off, I'm not that close with anyone but still only a few know. I thought about how much difficulty I have talking about myself...and therefore, what I am about to accomplish. My family doesn't talk about themselves and people that boast about their lives are seen as arrogant and self-centered, so lesson learned, don't talk about yourself---or your achievements. This is why at DTC this was so weird to have people asking me about my race and what an accomplishment it will be and how inspiring. My whole life, I've downplayed anything I do. Finding such admiration for these athletes on the computer screen yet I'm about to do the same thing, maybe even more challenges to overcome than the ones I'm looking up to. The outpouring of support from DTC, people wanting to track me during the race, people traveling far to cheer me on was a bit overwhelming. To think that people would even be considering taking a flight to support me...that was and still is incredible to me. Not to portray the wrong picture, but my family doesn't understand...my dad ran marathons so he understands a little....but no one from my family made an effort as much as some people I just met at camp. Can I blame them? I try to compare it to me understanding my sister's natural childbirth. Totally not something I can relate to b/c I haven't been through it. I think my family has a hard time understanding why I do triathlons and to be honest they don't see the daily training and issues with diabetes that Mark sees or someone training with diabetes will understand. They see this as "another one of Holly's races." I do race a lot but this one is different. But can I expect them to know that if I don't tell them that. Do I need to be more direct? This one is important, very important. It might be my last long tri for a while and this has been a very important part of my life for many years. I think I need to tell them to care. Be open-er and honest-er.
....
Physically ready, mentally improving--finish line getting closer.

Holly

Last long bike...dun dun dun....

Pre race photo, no caption needed. 106 miles on my two wheels....

What I thought would be a nice easy course was not so much. After 55 miles of steady rolling hills, there was a climb pretty much seemed to last forever. Mark says about 30 minutes. I say forever. I had made a friend, Jack, who was a cross between a creepy man and a creepy man. After telling me about how he was living with an old schizophrenic woman and about to move out, he made the frank observation on the climb that I was panting. Yes, thanks I hadn't realized. But he was talking to me, telling me about himself and his biking club, and what was I suppose to do....couldn't ride my bike faster to get the hell outta there!!....so he was trying to tell me how to ride out of the saddle....probably not so good to teach when I'm about to fall over as it is and literally well "panting." So no thanks maybe next time. Got over the climb to a small flat....hooooray. Then a section where my friend Jack pulled over to take a water break, I just sailed...in the right direction? I didn't honestly know the answer. Kept going till I saw Mark (he always passes me on the uphill till I wiz by him on the flats and downhills). Mark was at the top of old smokey mountain we just climbed. There were two options...go over the edge or ride down the even steeper desent. Wish I would have taken out my camera in my bike bag b/c the view from the top was magnificent. The desend was terrifying and very curvy. Jack told us to hold on to both brakes, take one off for a rest then the other, then both again. You'd be going 25 mph with both brakes...yup pretty much true. Tried taking my hands off both and cramps galore. My hands didn't work b/c of the death grip I'd been giving them for the last five minutes. Trying to grip tighter for the serious turns was painful. Men were walking their bikes down....too late for that b/c I literally couldn't even come close to a stopping pace. My face was wincing in pain and panic. Reaching the bottom with a short flat and then....oh great a highway! Well, at least it was a very low traffic one since we were in the middle of nowhere. When I got to the bottom, I stopped to shake my hands out and wait for Mark. Mark said he would kept his eyes shut if it would have been straight. Lunch time was next.

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The rest of the ride was less thrilling which I was happy about. Smaller rolling hills and some nice long downhills. To be honest, it flew by...but the end was a happy one. Next long ride will be in Panama City, here I come!!!!!!!!

Quickie

So ladies,

In response to your post, Kat, you can use the goal setting worksheet from camp, thats what Kate and I used. Mine are on hold for now--well, I guess the main goal will hopefully be accomplished soon. :) Oh, also, I had a round of days where literally I think I was under 250 for maybe a hour. I always feel embarrased (maybe the "bad diabetic" syndrome) explaining that one to Matt....luckily the swing has gone back to normal, still don't know what caused it, but I'm glad its over. I often wonder how those days add up and affect my kidneys and eyes, etc. But all you can do is try to do the best and live life to the fullest...we definitely are doing alllll that we can. Still its frustrating.
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KATE, MAJOR KUDOS! I super happy for you finding a job--you're damn persistance paid off and its well worth it, hope you're still celebrating!
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I've just spend much of the day today glued to the computer watching the Ironman World Championship in Kona. These are the creme de la creme and each athlete has qualified in another Ironman just to get to the starting line. Chrissie Wellington a pro female beat 3/4 of the male pro field...she's the Michael Phelpes of Triathlon and was UNKNOWN TWO years ago until she won...none of the commentators knew who she was and ended up winning first female! This is her third year winning and continues to dominate yet so amazingly humble and appreciative to her competition (if you can even call it that). Anyway, getting to my point, I'm totally fired up for Florida! Cannot believe its right around the corner!!! Taper time begins Monday.
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Tomorrow is my last looong bike. I decided rather than do a 6-7 hour ride with Mark and a friend why not sign up for a century bike ride? So, I found one around here and now I'm doing a 106 mile ride/race which should be a lot more fun than "just another long ride!" Planning on working on nutrition, pacing, BSugars. Hopefully I can smoke Mark's behind! ;~) If I feel good, I'll run afterward, but if not, I'll bask in the sun to enjoy the afternoon sunshine, in my opium haze like JJ...hahah!!!

Assessing Goals...

So, I've done the Sprint Tri and have taken a complete week off...I don't think cleaning my house truly counts as cardio. Learned that the female body w/diabetes just sucks sometimes. Pre-cyc week, no workouts, extreme insulin resistance that I just didn't pick up on until today...oh well, that's what makes us so darn complex & beautiful, right?

Goals? I'm honestly not sure yet! I want to stay on my high from the Sprint, but there's not much to do around here just yet. I think I need to start back with a routine of working out & strength training first.

Holly, not even a month yet and we will be watching you cross the finish in Panama City!! My boys are excited to watch the event.

Kate, I hope the job offers rolled in & that you will be happily teaching come Monday!

Stay well & hear from you all soon.

The sunset - it's like skittles on crack... :)

I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that everything happens for a reason and patience is really the key to life! I've totally figured IT out! Just kidding, I'm full of shit... The last week or so has been kinda challenging for me mentally. I came down with a nasty cold that really knocked the wind out of me and my blood sugars took off with the cold and what is usually a fairly clear picture with blood sugars during the day became as clear as mud. I'm almost done kickin' it though, so I'm looking forward to getting back to running tomorrow. Time to dust off the shoes, blow the nose one more time, and hit the pavement for some peace and quiet and a little bit of challenge! Interviews, interviews, and more interviews has been the name of the game for the last few days and I'm getting pretty tired of it all. I've been anticipating getting a job for the last few months and I hope I'm getting close. I feel like I've settled into filling up days without being employed so if I get a job soon, I think I'll be going from 0 to 60 pretty quickly. I should know by the end of the week if I have any offers on the table and if not, I'm fine with subbing and finding my challenges elsewhere. Goals - I've fallen off the bandwagon a little this past week with being sick and now it's time to jump back on the train and stay focused on my goals. Tonight I saw the most amazing sunset I've ever seen - or at least one of the more impressive sunsets I've experienced. It was unbelievable - I saw all of the colors in the rainbow up in the sky, with the Olympic Mountains in the background and Puget Sound in front of the mountains. It was like Skittles on crack! Yep, I'm never leaving Seattle - I'm staying for good! Our nightly walk up to Sunset Hill Park continues to knock me off my feet - even after 6 years of living here!

Lunch Ramble

Hiya guys!





So I'm on my break at work and realized I need to blog. I'm always coming up with stuff throughout the day thinking, this would be good to blog about, then I've forgotten by the time I get to the computer, seems like a weak excuse to invest in an iphone. Or to work on my memory, goodness what am I going to be like at 80? Anyway.....


So I haven't had a chance to reassess my goals--what good are they you ask? Well, I know they're there and I've written them down and can come back to them once IM is done. Some I'm doing very well, the nutrition is slacking (snack more when stressed), and I'm making steps to decrease the anxiety in order to get more sleep. My sleep has been very affected and find myself waking up 4-5 times a night. Cannot be good...but trying to improve on it. Physically I feel strong in my training but its the mental aspect (which is sooo important in long distance sports) is my weak area at this point. So the other day, I did a 4 hour brick workout in the gym. It started out great, watching the top 20 countdown on VH1 and singing along. Music can always do the trick! I usually don't workout with music so this was a refreshing change. Then it started to get hard, honestly I thought of things to post on here and thinking of Kat's super tri and Kate's 5K and funny DTC memories. It worked for a while and then moved on to other thoughts. I started to think about how long I've been training specifically for this race. My plan is a 37 weeker. Thats about 9 months..doesn't include the two years of doing olympics and half IM training.

....I planned on getting back to this one at work, but it looks like I will have to save it for this weekend, I'm going to post it anyway, to be continued.

Successful Sprint!

Well, it has been 2days since I completed the Santa Rosa Triathlon in Pensacola, FL. It was awesome, but I am definitely enjoying some down time. You know, I quit my job & somehow couldn't find the inspiration to clean my house...well, we are hosting a party tomorrow night...I guess that is now my inspiration. Cleaning my house feels like a triathlon!!!

The training, data collection, trials, etc. all paid off. I had bkfst at 4:30am and had set both my basal and bolus back. I guess I got an adrenaline surge just before starting, because my bs climbed up to 268; however, after reviewing with the "Doc", we opted to not correct nor take in any carbs before the start. I started the swim at @7:50 and what seemed like forever was actually my fastest time ever and the open water swim was AWESOME! The water was so clear I could see straight to the bottom. I ran to the transition and my BS was @230 so I opted to take in a REAL small amount of carbs and then drink on my Hammer water mix. I had about 3/4 of it so @15-18 carbs and then a couple more shot blocks. The bike ride took the longest...I need to work on that, it was @1:10, but it was beautiful riding along the beach. Got back into the transition and my bs was @140 (yeah!). I can only say that I had MAJOR spaghetti legs as I started my run. I took in a pack of sports beans (25ch) and proceeded to run...really slow. I ended up walking @1/4 mile until I felt like my legs could stand my own weight. It took @34min to bring it back to the finish for the final time of 2:04:38!! I may have been in 638th place, but I was a HUGE winner in my own mind. What a success. My bs remained stable until after lunch. We continued to cut my bolus & basal back and that was a bit too much.

So what's next...well, Holly's Ironman of course!!!! Not to mention there is a Youth Tri the day after that my boys want to do in Panama City. We may make a long weekend out of it & head back to Tally the Monday after. Since I'm doing light stuff this week, I'm going to focus on getting some training time in with the boys...what fun to share this with them!

Well, I'm hitting the sack for the night. Kate - I pray your interviews have gone well and that the perfect job will have the door opened wide for you! Holly - you are SO CUTE with your nephew...I see a shimmer in your eyes! Diabetic moms bringing babies into this world is one challenge/workout that is well worth the reward at the finish line, even if they get mouthy as they get older :o)

Job Interviews...

So I promised that I would give myself until October 1st to sort things out with teaching jobs...and then I became really impatient about being unemployed! I started going down the track of nannying but deep down inside I really wanted to be in the classroom, educating and inspiring the next generation. Tomorrow I have 2 teaching interviews - the only challenge is I have a root canal at 7:45am and I also am trying to kick a cold! Perfect timing, huh? I think I'm going to opt for not wearing my pump during the interviews only because my sensor connections freaked out during my last two interviews and created a bit of a "diabetes awkward moment". So off with the pump it will be. One of the interviews is at a school for kids who are transitioning out of homelessness and I'm really excited about the great reputation and progressive nature of the school. It seems like all of the barriers are removed for these kids in the other areas of their lives so that they can have a continuous year of education as their families try to figure out their next steps. The other interview is at an international middle school with a very diverse student population. There's a lot of overlap between the students I was working with this summer and these schools so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed. Hopefully my sniffles will be put in check tomorrow and I won't be numb from the dentist's office and I can give the interviews everything I have. It's at least a step in the right direction!

Sprint in 2 DAYS!

I'm loving keeping up with you guys through the blog! I've been a little lazy this week...took (2) days off from my running, just felt like being a bit of a couch potato. Matt's been awesome to continue working with, but I do believe he's smoking something at times (ha ha). I'm doing the Sprint Saturday & then supposed to do an 85minute run Sunday.... I know myself well enough that I will get up & do it, but I have to whine a little. I never would have seen myself doing anything close to this a year ago and I'm so happy to see where I am now. I have to admit though, it would be nice if my family supported me more or showed a bit more interest...oh well. I have the most awesome husband & children that are definitely there for me!
My non-profit's name is going to be Diabetes Life Training. Mike likes it because the acronym reminds him of a BLT sandwich??? I meet with our local HMO Monday @4pm to discuss their involvement in residential focus groups, etc. I am also going to one of our local community colleges today to inquire into their RN program. We'll see how that goes...it's been a LONG time since I've been in a college setting.

My boys are enjoying me being at home. It's nice to go outside with them before & after school to throw the football around a bit, play a little tackle football, etc. I know that no matter what the future holds career wise...I want to be available for them in the afternoons!

Holly- YOU ROCK!!! I can't wait for November to roll around & see you. I know you will do great! I'm on board with something "big" in 2010...I know I'm going to do a 1/2 Marathon in February, but I love the idea of something larger to add. A girlfriend of mine here is going to run the Chicago Marathon. Sounds like a fun experience.

Kate- I don't know if the info I sent you was helpful at all, but it sounds like you are doing pretty good regardless!! I think it's great to see such a fire lit under all of us to do something that will impact others that are living with diabetes...there are so many out there that just don't have an ounce of resources or support. Phil is great...I know his mom pretty well & she rocks as far as support goes.

Well...I'm off to cross train today. I'm thinking of a nice bike ride once the am traffic slows down a bit. Stay well!!