IMAZ 2010 - race report

A little more than 1 year ago, my wife and I made the decision that I would commit to race my first ironman distance race - Ironman Arizona 2010. We made the decision together, knowing that it would take a large sacrifice on her part, taking addional responsibility for our 3 young children while I was putting in the requisite hours of preparation. After a very long season, with plenty of races, training, and even a late season injury, the day finally came on Sunday, November 21, in Tempe, Arizona.

I got up at 4am on race morning, 3 hours prior to start time. Although transition wasn't opening until 5 am, I wanted to get some nutrition in and start focusing on the long day ahead. I was dropped off around 5.30 am and quickly deposited my gear and special needs bags so I could hit the porta-potty line. By the time I got back to transition, there was little time left to get suited up, as the 6.50 am pro start was already underway. I had less than 10 mins! So much for any sort of warmup!

Getting into Tempe Town Lake was unlike any water entry I had experienced before. There was only 1 small set of stairs in/out, so most of us took to jumping off the concrete ledge that holds in the "lake". It was only about a 3 foot drop, but at 60 F (15.5 C), the instant full-body immersion took your breath away! Luckily my race nerves helped numb the cold shock and I started making my way to near the front of the 2600 or so other swimmers. Although I'm not a strong swimmer, I didn't want to get held up during the swim start and I also figured that most of the folks that would be going past me would be good enough swimmers that they should be able to mostly avoid swimming overtop of me. It turns out this strategy worked pretty good for me, this time.

The swim was mostly uneventful. After 10 mins or so, my feet started to get numb, but the rest of my body was comfortable. On the 2nd half of the swim, I even felt my legs getting warm (no, I wasn't kicking that hard). Getting out of the swim was again a bit tricky, with the first step of the stair being a little too high to easily step up on. I initially put a little too much faith into the volunteer that had offered me his arm, and almost launched both of us back into the water. We quickly recovered and I got onto the stairs, only to slip and take a small chunk out of my shin. Luckily I was so excited that I didn't even notice this until the next day!

[For future IMAZ first-timers, be careful getting out of the water. I had read that this was the trickiest part of the race and it turned out to be that way for me too]

I hit T1 was a large number of other racers. In fact, I think we overwhelmed the volunteers at that time, as I ended up sitting outside the tent, by myself, struggling with my gear. The weekend was the coolest (highs in the upper 60's) Tempe had seen in the past 5 weeks or so and I highly dislike being cold, so I fought a bit to get on my arm warmers and wind vest. I also donned my gloves and was glad that my toe covers were already on my shoes. I was finally on to the part of the race where I am most comfortable - whew!

The 3 lap out'n'back ride sounded like something I would prefer. I do well feeding of the energy of the cheering crowds and with my family being a part of that group, I was looking forward to the extra boosts! Since I exited the water at a busy time, the ride out of town was quite crowded, but the road surface was super-smooth and my legs felt strong on the gradual uphill heading NW into the desert. It was time to start making up some spots in my AG!

I finally hit the turn-around and realized why I had been feeling extra fast on the way out. The wind was directly out of the SE, so we were headed straight back into it on the way back into town. Dang! I was glad that I was disciplined enough on the climb going out, not to have pushed hard, as it would have made the downhill return that much harder (post-race, I found out that speeds going out, uphill, were 4-5 mph faster than coming back in, downhill!).

By the 2nd lap, all of the swimmers were on the course and there was a lot more passing to do. I felt a little bad for some folks, knowing that they were obviously going to have a super-long day ahead, if they even made it to the finish. It was definitely interesting to take note of the bikes and equipment as I slipped past a lot of these folks.

The wind slowly picked up throughout the day. Near the end of my 2nd lap, a small, refreshing rain shower slowly turned into a drenching, cooling me back off for the rest of the ride. I was very happy with my extra clothes that I had put on, especially after the soaking - I would have been miserable without them!

T2 was much less busy than T1 had been. This time I had a personal helper (I had only heard about this in fairy tales) and I made good use of his support. I was quickly out onto the 3 lap run and my legs felt surprisingly good. Now I was to see how long my Achilles would hold up... (5.5 weeks prior to race-day, on Oct. 14, I had injured it, so had very little running from that point on, as I could only get 30-60 mins of easy jogging before it would start hurting).

After about 20 mins into the run, the pain started. I pushed on as long as possible, wanting to get as far as I could before I would be reduced to walking. Somehow, that time never came! There were a couple small sprinkles on the run and the wind continued, making things quite cool, at times, but it was so much better than being too hot. Although my pace fell well off my goals, I only walked once, through the aid station at mile 22.

As I came into the last couple hundred yards, I was ecstatic - I could hardly believe I finally made it! Although I had a lot of pain in my Achilles and both knees, the cooler weather helped me avoid dehydration and my cardio was OK. I really felt much better than I had expected, which led me to start thinking about improving on my time in the future!

My biggest thanks for everything goes to my family, of course. They gave up so much to allow me the time to train to achieve my goal and I owe it all to them! The 3-lap bike and 3-lap, figure-8-ish run course gave me numerous opportunities to see their smiling faces and hear their cheers. The had some great cheer-gear and I felt extremely lucky to have such amazing support for me on the course.

I would also like to thank my coach, Tim "Doggy-Dog" Reed, who set up a training plan that fit my schedule like a glove and pushed me well beyond what I could have done on my own. Thanks also to GG & Dr. Wlad for oodles of advice and training support. Next, Josh @ Tri-Massage, Dr. Hansen @ High Altitude Spine & Sport, and Dr. Mathey @ Alpine Clinic of Chiropractic, all are thanked for helping me through various issues during the season. Finally, the volunteers and spectators at IMAZ were superb and I felt like a super-star every time I went by them. Thanks all!!

Summary (note, no dehydration or stomach issues):

• pre-race: (~400 calories - 1 Powerbar, Gatorade, water)
• swim: 1:09:03
• t1: 7:08
• bike: 5:27:18 (~1800 calories - 1.25 Powerbars, 4 x EFS gel, 4 x EFS powder, 4 x Hammer Perpetuem, 1 Red Bull, 1/4 banana, lots of water)
• t2: 3:07
• run: 4:06:26 (~1100 calories - 8 x EFS gel, pretzels, cola, water)
• TOTAL: 10:53:03 (~3300 calories, 39 AG, 268 O)

Dec. 1

Well, this month was filled with excitement and anticipation of what we've been waiting for for the past year...Ironman Arizona. Ehren signed up for the event a year ago and has been working very hard the last few months to prepare for the 2.4 mi. swim, 112 mi. bike and 26.2 mi. run. With less than 6 weeks before race time he injured his achilles...so was unable to train properly for the last 5 weeks. In the end he managed ok. The injury was bothersome, but after so many miles, everything hurts! He finished with his goal time of less than 11 hours (10.53hrs) so he was happy. A feat few people will do in a lifetime. It was a marathon day for all of us. The kids and I were up at 5.15 to take him to the race site. We spent from 8a.m. to 6.30 pm on site. It was a great spectator course as the participants did laps on the bike and run. We saw him about 8 or 9 times during the event. It was about the time we were ready for a "break" from the day...back to the hotel, when Ehren was in his run. Couldn't leave...that was the hardest part of the day for him...so we stuck by to make sure we cheered him on! We got poured on for about 5min. (it never rains there!!), and we were all exhausted by the end of the day. We were all proud of him and happy it was done. :-).

On our pre-race day (when Ehren was checking in his bike, transition clothes, etc.) I took the kids to the Phoenix Zoo. They had a blast and saw a load of animals. I always feel...ya see one zoo, ya see them all...but not for kids! They had a great time.

Our day after the race we drove the 5.5 hrs to Anaheim where we spent a couple days at Disneyland and stayed in the Disney Grand California Hotel. This was a whole new experience ...as well as we had a character breakfast with some of the Disney characters. The kids had a great time. On our first day we met the Johnson family and on our second day we met my friend Jackie who drove down for the day. We had a ball. Of course, this was perfectly planned as Ehren felt like a million dollars after the 140 mile race! :-) Needless to say, he didn't feel that bad and was fine walking around Disney for two days. We then drove to San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with the Johnson's again and got in some quick visits before the long drive home!

Not much else to tell. This was our Nov. It was very busy and slipped by us at the blink of an eye. We're now ready for the holidays and a bit of a slow down (and to have Ehren around more). This year we have the van Melle side of the family coming for Christmas. We're excited to have them all arrive and be able to spend a Christmas together!

Nov. 1 update

Well, what a month Oct. has been. It was very busy with all the activities of the month...and kids' activities too. I've been busy single parenting these days (much to Ehren's dismay) so life's been hectic. I had a busy "Silpada month" with shows which added to it all. November slows down a bit in the Silpada life so I'll have a bit more time on the weekends. The shows are fun, and it's great meeting new people. I have a vendor event coming up this month which will be a fun new experience!

Soccer has kept me busy. Ehren's been trying to work his training schedule around the morning game so he can help with one of the games. Emily and Evan often play 3-4 hours apart so it makes for a full day of soccer! We have two more weeks and then we're done...I'm ready to have my weekends free again (or somewhat free). :-)

Ehren's training is going full bore and is demanding and difficult. He had a bit of a setback this month with a minor Achilles injury. Nothing he could've done to prevent...it's just from the strain of all the running. He's been doing a good job of trying to minimize impact when running but is losing some of his "intense" running training. We hope that he'll be well enough to finish the marathon part of the Ironman. Other than the Achilles setback...he's been doing really well.

Ehren's first job (work of course) has kept him busy. He's had to put in a lot of hours this month which has made it challenging to get the training time in. It's hard for him to have the minimal family life ...and I'm sure he'll be looking forward to the down time in December! We're all ready to cheer him on though, and we're ready to make shirts and signs for the big event! :-)

We had my parents visit this month...and they'll be back for a few days in November on their way to Puerto Vallarta. It was very helpful to have Mom's help in preparation for Emily's violin party. We had the celebration when my parents were here...was pretty special for Emily. :-) She's worked very hard. Jaelynn has now been re-invigorated after being part of Emily's party and is now working really hard to learn her songs...so she can have a Book 1 party! :-)

Life is so enjoyable! :-) Gotta love watching these kids grow up...and I'll do my best in being there for every part of it. :-)

Oct. 1

Somehow Sept. has come and gone. We started out with heading to Johnson Lake in Nebraska for the long weekend. Jay's parents have a cabin there (more like a large house) and we finally, after 4 years, made it over for a weekend...mainly to celebrate Levi's second birthday! We had a blast. There was water skiing, tubing, trampoline's, jet skis, dogs to play fetch in the water, a bounce house...and lots of kids! All three kids water skied for the first time and I got on the tube (boy was I stiff the next day!). We look forward to going back again sometime.

Soccer is in full tilt and between games on the weekend and Ehren's long training days, we've got a very busy schedule. It's great to watch the soccer as Emily's getting older, and Evan's a pretty good digger. :-)

My jewelry parties are on the increase as the holidays come up. I'm really enjoying it and getting to meet lots of new people. It's a good way to get "out" for a social hour! :-) Apart from running, the odd swim, and hockey, I'm now volunteering at the schools. I'm in Jaelynn's class monthly and Emily's weekly. Evan's school is whenever I can...so I've been in twice this month. I've learned that the volunteers are in integral part of what goes on the in classroom. I get to see how my kids function/sit in the class, as well as the dynamics of the class. I get to meet the students and without volunteers...the "extras" might not happen. I help with centers in Jaelynns class as well as just "extra" work she needs done at the time, be it cutting, testing, stuffing folders, etc. In Emily's class I'm there to help with science. We had a great week this week...a water experiment. Needless to say...everyone got a bit wet! :-) When I'm at Evan's school it's for reading period where we read to the students. I'm now wishing I was in Jaelynn's class every week. It's all a lot of fun!

We now have 7 weeks until Ehren's Ironman. He's putting in about 17-18 hours a week in training...not quite half of that is on the weekends. During the week there's a lot of early mornings for him...it's a balance to train, work and try and get in some family time. He did do another 1/2 Ironman this month and was very happy with how it went...very promising for November!

We have a busy Oct. coming up with soccer, training, and my work...and then hockey has started up again!

Harvest Moon 1/2 race report

• Alarm was set for 4.30am - I got up @ 4.28.  Yeah, I didn't sleep much that night.
• I knew where I was headed, but forgot that my night vision was pretty poor, so I pulled over a couple times in the last few miles so that I wasn't leading a long line of racers in the wrong direction.
• Parked about 10 ft from bike exit/entrance - score!
• Racked about 12-15 bikes in from the bike exit/entrance - double-score!!
• Saw Tim Hola, again (it's like the guy follows me around to all my races), but luckily he was racing elite this time and not age-grouper.
• Started talking to another rack neighbour about the bike entrance... turns out it was Angela Naeth doing an aquathon training day (she started 10 mins behind me and passed me around mile 12 on the bike).
• Also saw buddy TR and know he is a great athlete and is training for IMStG - was just hoping I was going to be able to put enough distance on him on the bike to hold him off on the run.
• Water was chilly (67.8F) - I was glad I brought my De Soto Black Pearl 2-piece, as it's much warmer than the Orca sleeveless that I have borrowed indefinitely from GG.
• Swim started OK, but I quickly realized my left goggle was filling - swam single-eyed for a while, then emptied.
• Continued with goggle issues the entire way out of the out'n'back swim... had to stop at least 6 times and once was redirected by a kayaker as I was veering a little too far off course (apparently my single-eye, into-the-sun sighting technique is not so good).
• Finally got a good seal at the turn-around and swam hard and relatively straight back to the beach.
• Stumbled up the beach towards t1 and saw KN standing in his wetsuit cheering me on - huh?! (apparently his bronchitis got the better of him and he was helped out of the water by medical - too bad)
• Out of the water around 33 mins, but officially 35:01 with the timing mat at the entrance to t1.
• Took my time in t1 (1:41) and decided the weather was warm enough that I wasn't going to need arm warmers, but was glad I had my toe covers already on my shoes.
• Bike course had some rollers (more than I was expecting), but for the most part I was comfortable and was able to settle in OK.
• Got passed by some guys going a blistering pace, although a few of them were either relay or aquathon and did not have to run later (although some certainly did).
• Started to feel a bit wiped on the last 15 miles and the big rollers on the way back in, but managed to get through them without blowing myself up (I wanted to have some running legs).
• Turns out I only took in about 4/5 of my planned calories (had about 860 in my "energy" bottle) and only 2 extra bottles of water (started with 1 aero full aero bottle with 1 scope of EFS).
• Bike in 2:28:30 (22.6mph) - very happy considering how slow I dragged the last few hills and into t2.
• Hit t2 (1:11) and grabbed my Saucony A4 racing flats (hadn't yet ran more than about 10km in them, but I was feeling confident with my form, so...).
• Legs felt a little taxed, but I seemed to quickly get into the turn-over that I have been used to in training, so I figured I would just let the muscle memory do it's thing.
• Hit a porta-potty around mile 2 - felt a little too much sloshing than I was going to be comfortable with for the next 11 miles and of course I was going to be adding to the fluids along the way.
• Run continued solid and I mostly picked people off.
• Went through 2 gels, a couple cups of gatorade, about 6-8 cups of water, and 1 pretzel over the course of the run.
• Right when I was ready to pick it  up for a solid finish (mile 12), got a pretty nasty stitch in the gut and had to actually ease up a bit, which was disappointing considering I felt like I had kept a little in the tank.
• The excitement of the finish dwarfed the cramp in the last 100 yards and I hit the finish solid in 1:39:41 (7:37 pace).
• Total time 4:46:03 - narrowly beating my goal of 5 hrs. :-)
• Sprinted head-first into the slip'n'slide, which caused my left calf to cramp (I leapt off my left leg)!
• Grabbed some Wahoo's fish tacos and warmed up in the sun with KN (yes, I got chilled from the shower at the end of the slip'n'slide).
• Waited around for a massage from JS from Tri-Massage - ouch, that hurt more than any part of the race, except maybe the gut cramp.
• Very happy and felt great the rest of the day!

Sept. 1

Once again we're a little late on the updates. :-) We had company in August so we were a little on the "busy side". :-) I'll start with the rest of our road trip. We started August off in Battleford, SK for the Mitchell family reunion. We saw several of Ehren's cousins, aunts and uncles that we hadn't seen for a while. Our kids had a blast playing games, going on treasure hunts, and playing with their cousins that were there as well. We also got to meet Theo (Reid & Eric's boy) for the first time. The weather was great...in fact the best all summer! We went to Shellbrook from there and spent a few days there...with side trips to Waskesiu and Sturgeon Lake. We had fun boating, golfing and of course...flying with Opa! We had an uneventful drive home and made it back in good time.

Once we were back in CO we had about a week before school started. The kids had fun re-discovering their toys once again and then back to the grind! Emily in 2nd Grade, Jaelynn started K, and Evan started Preschool. All three of them did well, adjusted well, and are loving it.

The week after school started Lana arrived with Isabelle and Adam for 10 days. We had fun with them and spent time at the pools and parks. Isabelle and Adam had their first try at roasting marshmallows and eating smores. :-) Lana was between our house and the Landrigan household so she did a bit of house hopping...but adjusted well.

That's it for events. Ehren and I have been busy catching up with kids. Soccer and violin have started again and Ehren's full tilt into training. He spends his time trying to figure out how he's going to fit in his countless hours of training. I've taken a back seat and am enjoying the "slower" training schedule. My schedule will soon fill more with swimming and volunteer work in the kids' classrooms...the work is never over!

August 1

Well, this post is a bit late as we were gone to Canada for just over two weeks....and got back just this last week. We had a great month of July. Ehren and I had a wonderful triathlon and were happy with our times. It's the longest distance I've ever done and I look forward to doing it again next year.

I'd say one of the most exciting events is that we welcomed a new comer to the extended family. Ehren's brother Reid and his partner welcomed a son, Theo, to their family. They adopted him just shy of his first birthday and is a smiley little guy with an outgoing personality.

Once again this year we took a road trip to Canada. We spent the first 6 days in Alberta with my parents in High River. We had time to get in some golf, good visiting, a trip to the Drumhellar Dinosaur museum, and a lot of cousin play time. Our kids were happy to see their cousins as Levi was there as well as Adam & Isabelle (over from Dubai). We'll fill you in on the Saskatchewan part of the trip in our August update!

July 1

Well June certainly came and went fast! School was out and we started the month off with triathlons! Emily did her first "big" triathlon(read in her blog) and Ehren and I had one too. This was followed but the arrival of Elaine for 2 weeks, another triathlon, a swim meet and another set of company...along with the kids going to camp!

Tri season is going full tilt. Ehren & I have each done two and he then went to Lubbock TX to do a half Ironman as well. All went well with the triathlons and now we've done enough that we're working on improving our times from the previous year(s). Elaine was here for two weeks. We enjoyed her company and she helped out with driving the kids to and from a couple of their activities. It also allowed for Ehren and I to get out on a couple bike rides together! She had driven down this time so we had the extra vehicle around which was helpful at times. While she was here we took her to a Rockies game (baseball) in Denver. It was a cool day for June but it was nice to be there as we'd never gone to a game before. The bonus was we new the National Anthem singer...Regan Mizuno (Scholtz). The Rockies played the Blue Jays so she actually sang O' Canada! The kids thought it was pretty cool to see her up on the big screen and hear her sing! :-)

Later in June (actually the day Elaine left) Janice and her boys arrived. She was here for a week (Brendon arrived a couple days after her) and we had a great time. It seems something always happens when they're here...and this time it was Jaelynn...who sprained her neck! Lucky for me (as Ehren was out of town), I had some great help and entertainment at the house so I didn't have to lug all three kids to urgent care with me! :-) The kids always play so well and Janice & I took in a half day at the spa while Brendon babysat.

Ehren got his car back after a month of being in the shop. It looks great and his doors have look better than before the accident! :-) Not much else going on. I love watching the kids in karate as they started that in June as well...it's cute to watch them practice their forms and use the bow-staff.

We each have an Olympic distance triathlon in July and then we leave to Canada again (driving) on the 24th. We'll update you a little late in August once we get back!

June 1 update

May was a great month. We had a great mother's day weekend. I slept in, was treated to a great breakfast, went for a family hike...then for a bike ride...AND then dinner! The kids were great (as was my hubby). They all made their beds and got dressed on their own...before I was even up! What a treat!

We did finally slow down at the end of this month. Violin took a week off and soccer finished up. School ended the third week of May....which was a treat for all of us! We've had a couple weeks to recoup and slow down. We now start up again with violin and swimming and the kids are going to start up with karate! I am very excited for them as they took in a trial class this week and loved it. They got to "break" boards which got them hooked right off the bat. For me...I'm just happy I can take all three of them to the same place for class at the same time....that's worth it! :-)

Ehren and I ran the Bolder Boulder last weekend. The weather was perfect which in turn brought out a lot of people...runners and spectators. There were about 53 000 people participating in the 10K run...amazing atmosphere! We both had fun and had pretty good times...so this marks the beginning of our summer...race race race. We have two triathlons this weekend and then two more over the next 3 weeks. We also are expecting company this month...Elaine is coming in a week and then the Johnson family is arriving the end of the month.

I have to tell the bird story that I mentioned in Emily's blog...we had a robin build her nest on our back porch speaker. We all got to watch this (actually, it tried to build on our satellite dish a couple times and I wouldn't let it...then it ended up on the speaker under shelter...smarter). We then got to see the baby birds (3 of them)...and how fast they do grow! The mother would feed them very often and we could see them grow by the day. One night we got to see two of them fly away. The third was left...and the parents never came back. Emily was beside herself as she knows that the birds eat every 1/2 hr or so...and she watched all morning and neither of the parent birds came back. So....after a few cries we went out and dug up our own worms...and I went to feed the weak baby...and it flew down from the nest! It wasn't that strong so it hopped around a lot and then into the neighbors yard. Well, today...the baby bird was back...with it's parent! He was doing more running around the yard than flying...but I was just happy to see it alive! Emily was tickled. :-)

Anyways, aside from the bird...Ehren had a fender bender this month. He got hit on the drivers side of the car...someone failed to stop and hit him. It was a low impact accident as the vehicles weren't moving fast but nonetheless...about 8K in damage. Ehren's ok...but we'll be with a rental car for a few weeks.

My Silpada business is going well. I'm enjoying the social aspect of it and getting to travel around a bit as well. It's great to meet so many new people and have the "social" time. :-)

Not much else to report. We're expecting Elaine next week for a couple weeks then the Johnson family will be here for a week or so the end of June. Wow, the summer is going to fly by!!

May 1 update

Well April was a fast and furious month! We started with Evan's birthday party and hockey tournament for me! It was a great weekend and very busy. Martha (our nanny) also took our kids for the night as a birthday present to them...they had a movie night, hot tub, pizza night, etc. They were tickled pink and did great! As for us...it was great in that we got to go out with some friends by ourselves and spend some time together...but up early as we had to get to soccer! The fun never ends. :-)

Easter came and was gone...the kids had a great time. We went to an Easter egg hunt and an Easter brunch at some friends. Late that day we had the Landrigan family over for dinner. It was a low key day with some good family time. :-)

My parents came to visit in April on their way back up from Mexico. It's always nice to get a visit in and watch them juggle their time between us and the Landrigans...and the grandkids. :-) We had a nice time and the week went by quickly.

Probably the biggest change this month was that I started up my own business. I decided to become an Independent Silpada Designs Representative (specialize in fine Sterling Silver and semi-precious stones). I have had a couple shows now and really love it. I am still nursing but this allows me to get out and do something fun, on my own schedule, and however often I want. Pretty good stuff! The best part is that I wear all my own display pieces so I'm getting a nice variety of jewelry. :-)

Apart from this we're starting to train more for the tri season. Biking is still a struggle as our weekends have carried some not so great weather. We're in high hopes of better weather though. We are both doing the Bolder Boulder the end of the month (10K) and then we have a few triathlons coming up in June! Love the summer months.

Our little gems are keeping us busy as usual. It's so fun to see them grow and learn...each one is so different as any parent knows. They're truly our bragging point! :-)

We'll leave it at that for now. Hope you're all doing well and we'll update in a month!

April 1

What a month March has been! It started with Ehren having a second corrective surgery on his eyes. We knew this was a possibility because of how bad his eyes were originally...so on the 4th he had the touch up done. As mentioned in Emily's blog she then had surgery on the 9th. A very emotional day...full of anticipation and anxiety. We were so lucky to have such a wonderful facility and great group of people working with us. We were even allowed in the OR to be with her when they put her to sleep. For anyone that has never had this experience...it's extremely difficult to watch your child be "put to sleep"...and maintain composure for your child at the same time!! All went well though and we made it through the day...and the weeks following.

We celebrated two birthdays and have one more this month. Our weather is now shaping up so we're getting the urge to bike more outdoors. Very exciting to see spring! We've been on the ski slopes with the kids 3 times this month so that's not such a bad record.

Many of you now know that I am (in addition to nursing job) starting up a home based business. I am going to become a Silpada Designs Representative. This is a business based around Sterling jewelery. I am going to be doing parties mainly on weekends and am very excited to get started in April. It's a good way for me to get in some social time, own my own business, and make a bit of cash as a bonus. I'm very excited!! You'll be hearing more about it as time goes on and I'm going to launch it on April 24th with a party at my house.

Not much else to say. We're excited for Easter. I have a hockey tournament this month to wind up my season and Ehren's in play offs right now for his league. Mom and Dad will also be coming through CO this month on their was back to Canada.

March 1

We've had a busy month. Elaine came to visit and was here for two weeks. I hauled her to most of the kids' activities so she got the jist of our life! :-) It was nice to have her and I think she enjoyed her busy time here with us. Sounds like she plans on returning early summer again.

Ehren's been really busy with work and getting taxes ready. I'm not sure what I've been doing but I seem to hardly have time for anything extra! All is good though as I like to be busy.

Ehren's having another corrective eye surgery this week. We new that it was a possibility (based on how poor his eyes were to start with). He should be 20/20 after this surgery. He sees well enough without glasses or contacts, but not 20/20...so a quick touch up it will be!

We have a busy month or so ahead of us with three birthdays between now and the first week in April. Should be fun for all!

February 1, 2010

Well, here we are starting another month! Our January was very busy. We started with our New Years Party and a ski day at Eldora. We took all three kids and had a blast. They lasted most of the day! We got in a couple days of skating and then back to school. Ehren had an unexpected, last minute trip to San Diego on business (like about 7 hours notice), and then the day after he got back we were on our way to Mexico! It was a whirlwind between him being gone, the kids were back in school for only a week and a half, then we took off to Puerto Vallarta!

Our trip this year was great. We were gone 12 days and had great weather the whole time. It was a treat b/c Ehren was with us for the whole trip this time. Usually he joins myself and the kids about part way through the trip. The combination of the extra time and the kids being that bit older made for a nice relaxing time. We hit the beach several times, swam with the dolphins, played tennis,and took the kids on a pirate ship cruise. We'd never done the pirate ship before so it was a hit. We were gone from 8-3, had two meals, snorkeled, saw the pirates fight, kids had a treasure hunt, had beach time, and took on the banana boat...all in this time! Evan was the one who found the treasure on the beach so once we were back "on board", they presented him with his own pirate bandanna. I was also asked to take part in a "show" where I had a few short lines and a lot of time on stage. Ehren won a door prize...so we came home with 3 bandannas and 2 shirts! Everyone was happy! The kids had lots of time in the pool and Ehren got in a couple rounds of golf. Of course we had to hit the malecon and...plenty of beach time! Nana took us for a joyride on the golf course to check out the crocodiles. Kids got a blast out of that. I've never seen them in the "wild" before...almost unsettling. :-)

Upon return Ehren had a sinus infection and bronchitis. He was feeling kind of rough our last day in MX. After he has a chance to get his antibiotics kicking in I'm sure he'll feel better. We are expecting company this friday as Elaine arrives for two weeks. It'll be nice to have her and she'll get to live and breath our kids (and their schedule) for a while. :-) We have no other plans until birthday season for us starts up...in just over a month. Guess I better get planning soon!!

January 1, 2010

Hi all. What a great year and a great month of December! It started with Christmas concerts for violin and Jaelynn's school to parties for all the extra-curricular activities. We had a great month and it was all in anticipation for Christmas. We took a few hours one morning and took the kids to the Train Museum in Golden. What a great time. We also took in a few days of sledding and introduced the kids to wall climbing and bowling!

We managed to have a white Christmas this year. We had 50F weather the week before Christmas and then 2 days before Santa was to arrive...it snowed! Perfect timing as there's nothing like a "white Christmas". :-) Santa was great to everyone this year. We had a great Christmas with my parents visiting for 9 days. Christmas Eve was at the Landrigan house and Christmas Day was at our house. We celebrated Dad's birthday too and the kids had fun helping with the birthday cake.

Not much else to say. That's about it in a nutshell. It's been a very busy month and another to come. We had a New Years Party with a small group of friends this year and managed to watch the ball drop with the girls. We all had a great time and some great fun visiting with friends. We're ready for another great year!

Have a great New Years and we'll talk to you again in January!