More Patio stuff......

It was nice to take a break over the weekend. I know we're not the ones doing the hard manual labor, but it's nice to have our back yard free of strangers. Tick and Toby don't like those strangers either and it's hard to not let them run free in their yard. Now we have to take them out to the front and/or walk them.....not what we or they are used to :)!!


Day 6:
It was a very busy day! They got so much done on Monday! I'm starting to relax more and trust the process. David is out of town so that is when I decided to start blogging about our project. It really has kept me busy with some fun searches for outdoor fireplace designs, furniture, and grills (I know that is David's thing, but I am the self assigned project manager). Marty, the paid project manager is actually very good at his job and has wonderful customer service skills so we are in great hands. He also has some expensive taste so it's not good to talk to him too often. The concrete slab will stay the same for a while until we figure out if we want flagstone (and save the money for it) or maybe stain it. I thought I would hate the way it looks, but I can totally look past the unfinished flooring.



Day 7:

Wow, I love it already! The roof is what looks different today. The shingles are on and now it looks like this extension has been here the whole time. We are expecting some rain and we need it, but I hope it doesn't slow our process too much.

Our new addition and my latest obsession!

We are extending our patio-actually not much of a patio existed, but it's an extension to say the least. I've been trying to keep up with my running, but not a whole lot of biking nor swimming. Our patio project has helped with my PIB...a new focus for me. It has been a little stressful, but very exciting. I didn't like seeing my house look so vulnerable and exposed when they were ripping out a small part of our roof.

I'll go back and start with Day 1:

It looked a little small so we told the contracters that we'd like to add an extra foot....no problem and besides bigger is better when it comes to patios in Texas :)! David thought they were so nice to just let us add to this and was not happy to hear the the extra foot of concrete would cost us extra. I'm not sure why he thought this would be free??!!

Day 2:

Nothing too exciting, but of course, I was nervous and thought it looked sort of weird and that it would not blend with the house! This part took all day and it seemed like a lot of work for those men on a very HOT day!

Day 3:

Day 4:

We had to go shop for our grill, fridge, and sink so we could give the contractor the dimensions. I had fun looking at all the cool outdoor stuff and David was a little overwhelmed and is not too happy at the thought of spending money :)! Next day is Friday so they won't work over the weekend. I was hoping they would make some progress. The slab of concrete was not very cute and looked very out of place with the house. I'm nervous and making changes to the placement of the fireplace. David and I did enjoy an evening out with friends. We watched The Dark Knight at the Alamo and it was just what David needed. I haven't seen him this stressed in a long time.

Day 5:

They were busy, busy, busy on this day. I do not like this picture and very worried that we are making a huge mistake. To me, it just sticks out like a sore thumb. I can't even picture it looking good at this point. Also, from inside my living room it looked too big.

A long run in the morning was just what I needed. I ran 10 miles and it didn't feel great, but it felt great to meet with a group and get it done! I can hardly wait for Monday!!!!

It's August!!!

I have my first long run planned for tomorrow morning!!! Thank goodness Rebecca called to tell me she would pick my a@* up in the morning (around 6:00am). I may have talked myself into having some wine tonight and enjoy breakfast with the family in the morning.

I'm actually looking forward to it and I know how wonderful I'll feel about getting my long run out of the way. Just a long run planned sounds so nice with no long bike ride and no recovery swim...actually a recovery swim sounds like a good idea . I might plan on taking the kids to LTF and I'll swim for a little while.

My left arch has been hurting a little bit. I still haven't had my post IM massage...something else that I need to work on. I'd also like to start my ST and core work a couple times a week starting next Tuesday. I also need to log my workouts at least weekly...if not daily....just to keep me honest until I decide to start paying someone to coach me. For now, I'm going to do long runs with Donnie at Runtex and follow the generic training schedule provided by Nike. I actually like the way it looks and matches a lot of what I was doing before. It has a few cross training days so I'll try to bike and/or swim for those workouts.

I feel better already!!!

So What is an Ironmom?

There’s an article in the back of this month’s USA Triathlon Life magazine called, “Ironmoms: Celebrating Motherhood through Triathlon” by Whitney Roosa. I know that my screen name was not very creative or anything, but I still feel like it was stolen:)!! I should have been more original….it was just too catchy.


Anyway, I liked this part of the article that read as follows:

So what is an Ironmom?
“An Ironmom is a mom of any age who has unlocked great physical and spiritual treasures gained by training for and competing in endurance events. She has tapped into her inner-girl. She relishes the achievement of crossing the finish line. She stretches her boundaries by seeking greater challenges. She doesn’t glisten. She sweats-in fashionable performance wear. She is busy managing her family and household, but has finally made herself a priority. She carves out time each week to train and craves the rush of the endorphins. She is a model of health and physical fitness for her children. She cherishes the solitude of an early morning run, the weightlessness of the swim, and the rhythmic pulse of the ride. This woman, this Ironmom, DOES NOT view life from the sidelines. And her family is all the better for it.”

The article is more about some company that sells fitness apparel, but I like this definition of an Ironmom. It was also good for me to run across this to validate my “why I train” reasons. For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to figure out where my training will go next? Ultimately, I do know that I have a good thing going with triathlon and running in my life and I think my family thinks so too!

It’s Friday so have a great weekend!