A time to be Thankful

The other day I sat in my office at school with four crabby fourth grade girls. They indeed had life issues to be crabby about- no doubt. But, we quickly learned that by whining about life, we became sadder and crabbier. I went to my whiteboard(there is no such thing as blackboards anymore........and now if you are lucky Smartboards are replacing whiteboards) and put on top in bold letters, Things to be Grateful For:

At first, it took a while to get the conversation going.......but in no time, we had that board filled, we were telling stories and laughing and smiling.......feeling so much better. Yes, indeed......remembering WHAT we were GRATEFUL for helped shift our way of thinking into the positive frame of mind.
I am a firm believer in thinking sad thoughts equals feeling sad.
Thinking positive thoughts shift our thinking into positive thinking and therefore feeling more positive.
Pretty simple.

SO..........Here is my list of what I am Grateful for.........This list makes me HAPPY!

-My beautiful Kids, because they are kids and they do the funniest things, they are full of hugs and unconditional love.
-My Mom
-memories of my Dad: his smile, hugs, times together
-My 5 sisters
-My 6 brothers
- My extended family
-My wonderful support system of friends and family
-My best friends
-My incredible training opportunities through Gear West and SCS
-My awesome staff at Red Pine Elementary
-My Health
-My willingness to learn, to grow
-My faith
-My desire to be the best person I can be
-watching my kids shine as they learn and grow into wonderful people
-knowing my kids have a wonderful Dad who loves them and will always care for them
-for the people that have come into my life, sharing wonderful time together
-sunny days
-snowy days
-learning the new joys of photography
-travel
-the challenge each race and season brings
-long bike rides with friends
-trail runs
-adventurous mountain bike rides
-early morning lake swims
-runs with my sister, always followed by coffee for hours
-making chocolate chip cookies with the kids (after eating most of the dough)
-loving chocolate
-watching the sun rise and sun set (if an ocean is near by.......perfect)


My last thought. Lets all do one nice thing for some one else TODAY. Lets give one gift of being kind today.
One random act of kindness. Lets share our blessings with others. WE feel good, lets share that with others today.
Even if its simply sharing a smile.


Lexi and Mom

Trev

My Big Family

My Friends

My Little Family

Tri Night Rocks!

Just a quick post to say what a great night was had at Tri Night and to show some pics of the night.
I am blessed to have such a great connection with so many wonderful people.

I think, for me, it also reminds me of why I train and race.
Each season is a bit different, different challenges and different celebrations.
But in the end, the people, the connections, the opportunities to challenge yourself is what it is all about.
I loved listening to Hunter Kemper, his stories, his passions and now his quest to make a difference.
It was so inspiring to listen and learn about AT and how we all can make a difference.

ANd of course.........the OFF SEASON!!!





The also inspiring Cathy Yndestad, accepting one of her awards that evening.
Triathlete of the Year and Performance of the Year.
These awards could not go to a more deserving and harder working individual with the biggest heart I know.
Love ya CY!

Jen and Julie with Hunter. Thanks to Paul at Competitive Image for this photo.

Coach John with Hunter.
I am getting really fired up for another great season with Coach John.
The thing I love most about working with John is that he just "gets it". He understands the need for balance with family, work and training/racing. Ironman Wisconsin HERE I COME!!


THANKS TO ALL WHO WORKED SO HARD SO WE COULD ENJOY THIS NIGHT!!

Thanks to Kerry for the wonderful photos.

Jen, Julie, Cathy and Julie

Treading water.......but I can see the shore!

I know that I can tread for a really long time. Treading water is my specialty. As of late, I have perfected the skill of treading.
You know, the feeling of just staying afloat. Keeping your head above, doing all you can....just enough to get by.......but not really enough to thrive. The challenge arises when outside factors once again start to have an impact on your ability to tread. You are going along, treading and staying afloat when out of nowhere comes rough waters, huge waves. All of a sudden you have to work a lot harder to stay afloat. All it takes sometimes is one big wave, one big storm. Sometimes its just the constant rolling waves over and over........never giving you a break. Seems like the same thing over and over. You can be a great treader but if those waves get out of hand or if you get a cramp.........its going to be tough to stay afloat.
Well, good thing there is always support around. Friends and family are allowed to throw in floaties at any time and are always welcome. In fact the more floaties you have, the better chances you will have at reaching that shoreline. And after all that is the goal, nobody really wants to tread forever.

I am glad to say that it feels good to be swimming towards the shore. I see it and I know its in my reach. I have gotten so many floaties that have allowed me start swimming. ON MY WAY TO THRIVING


I want to tell you about my biggest supporter. Rosie. My mom.
Rosie is the best, always has been the best and I see no reason for that to change any time soon.
Rosie raised 12 kids with her beloved husband Bob. Bob is sadly missed as he passed away in 1999.
Rosie continues to support everyone of her 12 kids, no questions asks. She shows unconditional love in every way, she laughs, she lives, she enjoys life. She is my inspiration.


I had the opportunity to go home and be with my family this past weekend. I traveled to Green Bay with my sister and her husband (thanks MJ and Mike) to the wedding of my niece Beth and Adam. It was a beautiful wedding in many ways.
Beth is my oldest sister Teresa's daughter. Here a few pictures from the wedding.


Beth, always smiling and laughing

Teresa and son Reed

NO, this is not a wedding ring.
THIS is the 1996 Packer Superbowl Ring!! NO Kidding. And it is on MY hand. It was the second highlight of the night. There were probably 10 of us trying it on! Sweet. Oh, I miss Brett!


Trev always exploring


Crazy Girl Cousins

Trevor pretending to be a model, "posing". Really just being goofy.

And ya have to love Lexi's attitude toward LIFE.




sidenote:
this is my blog. i am the moderator. i am open to any comments about my blog. but i am letting you know if you choose to comment on my blog and say nasty things about any of my friends, I will REJECT your comment. period. Please respect.

more reflections........

After writing that last blog on changes, I have found myself being very reflective on the impact of change. And after gathering all kinds of information from varied sources..........this is what I believe.
I believe that while all kinds of things can change on the outside and life can throw us unbelievable challenges, making us feel like things are out of control.............the one thing that we can keep constant, is ourselves.

We have the power to stay true to ourselves. Just because everything around us is changing.......does not mean that we, ourselves have to change. The beauty is that we can be resilient, we can build these wonderful coping mechanisms that allow us to be strong and who we are, no matter what.

A wise and dear friend sent me this in response to my life in change. He set up a metaphor to triathlons, got to love it.

How you handle transitions is important – when the results of your triathlon are reported, the times for transition are separately listed – for the swim, bike and run the only constant is you – I choose to think there is a correlation to life – family, friends and places will change – JulieMac will still be JulieMac –

A Beautiful time of year.........

If you are lucky enough to live in Minnesota or any other state that experiences ALL four seasons........you know what I mean.
Fall is not only a beautiful time of year but also a visual reminder that LIFE is all about change. Change is natural, necessary and indeed can be beautiful. Of course change does not come without its difficulty or discomfort.........but sometimes that is where our best growing and healing can begin to prepare us for what lies ahead.

I seem to be in this revolving changing way of life.........and for the most part.......I feel like I am adapting. Continuously learning from the past, able to look at ways to make improvements, make the best out of situations and getting better at just trusting that things will be ok.




Embracing change......I love trying new things. I have found a new love for Mountain Biking.......what a great off season sport. It is right up there with trail running.
The combination of adventure, nature, beauty, thrills, skills, non competitive(personal choice for me) and challenging me in a totally new and different way. I love it.



Then there is Lexi. Not a big fan of change.....never really has been and just needs a little extra time for adjustment. Ahhhh......don't we all really!!! For example, the girl could eat at subway (her favorite) everyday. And order the same thing every time. Here she is enjoying her drink. But, man she sure is cute.


Trevor is one who can handle change. He is my kid that( while he likes things the same and IF he can he will choose the same path) does not get freaked out when plans need to be changed or situations come up. Somewhere he has learned to trust that things are going to be ok.......he gets that.





The Great Big Woods RUN
What a beautiful run.......I am purposefully calling this a run because it was a run, a beautiful run on a gorgeous fall day.
I had the opportunity to run a 10k, not race, not hammer, not worry about time or pace ........and it was great. I had the opportunity to run WITH someone, to talk, to encourage, to thank volunteers...........It was the best 10k I have run in a long time. Thank you Patrick for venturing with me to this run and running with me. This was a very positive change for me.
Plus, they had great soup and homemade cookies afterwards!!





Patrick

Becca and Chris ROCK the Half Marathon!! Way to go!


All in all, fall is a great season.........such a beautiful way to see things change. I am grateful for all the opportunities to learn and to grow in change. I love the changing of our seasons, each season for a different reason..........and i have to say i look forward to calm and stillness of winter.

A fun and fabulous saturday

What a great day. It started like every past saturday has started.........Football. Trevor has done a fabulous job playing for the Cowbows. He loves it and has learned so much in his first year of football. They started the playoffs and won their first game. It was very exciting.


Jen and I ventured out for a 3 hour ride.......into St. Paul and found ourselves stopping at Bread and Chocolate on Grand for some yummy treats. What a great off season ride. It was beautiful and sunny. A perfect day for riding with friends.





I have been having fun taking pictures and Lexi often volunteers to be my "model".







This next weekend I really HOPE to get out and DO a cyclocross race. I have been practicing my mounting and dismounting skills. I can do the "flying mount" in a controlled environment........but will i be able to do it in a race???
Now, I have to just get out there and enter my first race. I have been really nervous......ok, down right scared!!
Any encouraging words appreciated!!

I'm OUT......I'm IN!!!!!!!!!!

Your request for withdrawal from Ford Ironman Florida
has been submitted. Your reference number is: 1221059084

I sat by the computer with my finger on the submit button, knowing that it was the "right" thing to do but really having a hard time doing it. Florida was going to be my comeback race.........but sometimes our body tells us something else and we must listen. So, as I listened to my body and the doctors and physical therapist and discussed with my coach.....I withdrew from Florida IM and a new and exciting plan was formed.

Wisconsin Ironman 2009 and I am IN!!!

Pictures from IM WI 2008
Kate, Jmac and Cathy by the Capital (outside of Starbucks) after the swim


Jhull, Jen, Eric, and Cathy making the walk to "cowbell hill"


Just your typical FAN



Not training for IM Florida means I get to spend more time at Football !!!
Go Cowboys! Go Trevor!