website is up and running

I recently took a iweb class for school. And I am pleased to say that I love it and am learning a lot!
This website gives us a place to show some of our favorite pictures.
I hope you enjoy it.
check out the new website!

Summer = Birthday Parties

And boy have we had some FUN!!

Trevor turned 11 on June 18th and had 6 boys over for some water fun and a sleepover.








Lexi turned 9 on July 18th and took 6 girls to Build-a-Bear and then home for a sleepover.

What's your passion???

Photos taken by Paul Phillips of Competitive Image

I find myself asking this question a lot lately......daily, hourly perhaps.

Summer is a perfect time for me to take some time to reflect, to dig down deep and ask myself.....what is MY passion?? I mean what moves me, what makes me excited to get out of bed,  what drives me.....something I can call my own.   And really, what makes me a better person.  How can I strive to be the best person I know how to be.   Besides the obvious of my kids......because they truly are the REASON in my life.  In fact, just upon waking Trev today, I said to him....."you just make me smile".  

But, sometimes, I look for something else, something of my own that drives 

me.........next to my kids I have triathlons and there is certainly passion there......a simple passion that has grown to provide me with a base of friends, connections, life skills, a healthy lifestyle and opportunities to challenge myself on all different levels.

This past weekend was one of my favorite races, Timberman Triathlon, nestled way up Northwest in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.  The best part about this race is that its far enough away that you almost have to make a weekend out of it.  The last couple years, a bunch of friends have gathered  to race and then to simply hang out, relax and enjoy the post race

 environment together as friends.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh............

As far as a quick race report, I am pleased to say that this is the first race of the season that I felt confident.  I felt like (if there was an elite wave), I would have belonged.  The last two seasons have been difficult.......I think ever since I broke my wrist two months before going to Kona.........a string of events took me down emotionally, physically, mentally and perhaps took a bit of my passion too.

  This year (in a real effort to get that passion back), I needed to take some pressure off myself.  I needed to train and race to my best ability while keeping my kids in priority- a tough balance.  I always know that I will give my best performance that I have in me on race day.  As important, when I cross that finish line and after I look at results.......I will SMILE, I will be happy for ME.  I will know that I gave it my all and that is ENOUGH.  Because training and racing have become so much more than results..........

When I get home, I know that Trev and Lexi will love me no matter what.....they always ask me if  I "win" but they love  me just the same.  I was excited to tell them about my race this weekend, I was excited to tell them that I got 6th place overall (5th place shy by 3 seconds) and a first place age group(remember no elite wave) but they wanted to know what the cabin was like that I stayed in??

Anyway.......I am excited to feel the PASSION for racing to come back.  My big goal is Ironman Florida and to  qualify again for Kona.  Someday, I will. I believe. I will.  I have many more Ironmans in me......

And when I do qualify, I will take my kids with me.  And I will take my camera with me.  Because I love to take photos.........my newest passion.  

More on that later.

summer FUN and friendship

Hands down, summer is my favorite season.

Summer is a time for outdoor play, sunshine, water fun, camping, road trips, and hanging out with friends.

When Fourth of July comes and goes, I always feel a bit of sadness that summer is once again flying by...........soon Target will have their shelves packed with 'back to school" items.

I am certainly NOT ready to go back to school and will boycott Target once they start the Back to School marketing.  

We recently took a day trip to Chisago City to visit my friend Susan and her husband Tom's family who has a cabin on a Lake.  Every 4th of July they come to visit from Colorodo.  Susan and I met in 6th grade and were best friends thru high school.  Susan is one of my closest friends and yet sometimes it is just this one visit per year that reconnects us.  During our visit, Susan and I had the chance to talk, laugh, visit while the kids played.  Susan has two boys, Zach and Cole who are Trev and Lexi's ages.  

Every year, this visit reminds me of how special these connections are, how valuable our relationships with friends from our childhood, high school and college are to the person we are today.   It reminds me that every person has such an impact and reason for being in our lives.

I want to reach out and thank everyone who I haven't called or visited in many years........

"True friends are never apart, maybe in distance, but not in heart" 

"A friend's hand is always there...you just have to reach out for it."