Keep Them Maters Rolling!

Tomatoes are finally starting to roll in now!

Race Course Blues

This past Friday was my birthday... Sigh. Another year older... so glad I am still in my 20's... Ha Ha Ha
A couple of our good friends from back home made the trek up to Marietta and we all piled in our truck and had a nice night in Atlanta- supper at The Vortex in Little 5 Points and then on to the Blue October concert... Of course, the venue was hot and full of sweaty people but the band rocked! We were pretty much deaf by the time we left and it was pouring rain on top of that. But, we still had fun none the less...
After our guests left the next morning, Hubby and I ventured up north of Atlanta to Gainesville to check out the race course where my upcoming triathlon will be taking place. I really needed to gage just how "ready" I am for the big day. And oh how surprised was I to found out that almost the entire first half of the 13-mile bike ride is pretty much ALL uphill!!!????? I had an awful feeling in my stomach just riding it in the truck! Hubby kept mumbling how sorry he was for me... and I just kept taking in the long uphill grade passing by us as we rode the 13-miles of highway. Needless to say, I was very bummed about it for the rest of the day. It kinda of ruined the whole fun birthday part of the day for me.
I had pretty much decided by the time we got back on the interstate headed southward that I was going to have to nix the clip in pedals and go back to the basics... and just wear my running shoes on the bike because if I couldn't pedal up those 6 or so miles... then by golly, I will PUSH that bike up those hills! No where did I read in the race rules that you HAD to actually RIDE the bike 13-miles... am I right??!
And of course, Hubby has agreed for me to go ahead and buy a road bike for the race for my birthday... looks like I am now road-bike shopping this week... I just hope it helps me on race day...

First Harvest

First big tomato finally came in this week... Picked it last night and put it in the window to finish ripening.. We shall how good it tastes later this week!!!

Squirrel Update

8/18/2009- Squirrel Update:
Squirrel showed up again this morning only after I discovered our geriatric black lab trying to retrieve him off the top of the same top handrail on the back deck... same behaviors as last evening but Sampson managed to get him by the tail with his mouth and I (of course) freaked out because the last we need is Sampson to get more sickness. So being the born and bred redneck that I really am... I shot the squirrel.

Sleepin' Squirrels!

THIS is what greeted me when I got home tonight from work- a sleeping squirrel on the top rail of the back deck. Well his eyes were closed when I first spotted him... I was not sure if he was sleeping or dead. Very creepy either way! I go out the back door and onto the deck to see about him and when I rounded the corner he opened his eyes but did not move... shocked maybe? I made of couple of motions with my hands and he moved a little and eventually jumped over about a foot or two when I started doing a jig (keep in mind I am at least 15 ft from him- gotta keep a safe distance in case he decides to attack)... And his mouth was moving funny... after about a minute or two it is evident there is something wrong with him. So I go inside and watch him from the sunroom windows... I snap this pic with my phone and email it to Hubby titled as "Sleepin Squirrel". And his response? "Get the .22 and put a hole in that varmint". We are so ready to move to the country!
8/18/2009- Squirrel Update:
Squirrel showed up again this morning only after I discovered our geriatric black lab trying to retrieve him off the top of the same top handrail on the back deck... same behaviors as last evening but Sampson managed to get him by the tail with his mouth and I (of course) freaked out because the last we need is Sampson to get more sickness. So being the born and bred redneck that I really am... I shot the squirrel.

Happy Trails

In my ongoing preparation for the upcoming triathlon next month (less than 5 weeks away now mind you!) I decided to do a long bike ride at the vacation resort back home while we were down there this weekend. Callaway Gardens (CG) boasts of miles and miles of bike trails and it has been YEARS since I have set foot (or tire) on them. After visiting their website last week I discovered that the daily rate to just enter CG is $15 per person... and well, that is not going to work out for our budget since it would be $30 for both of us every time we want to ride the trails. So I researched further and found that a Local Family Pass is only $88 for one year and that will get us plus four other people riding with us into the gate- Score! So yesterday morning we head to the resort and get routed to the annual pass counter just a couple of miles in past the gates. Well, it was all well and good until the employee helping us saw our non-local mailing address... needless to say, I spent the next 10 minutes trying to convince this lady that I am not only from there but we pay two different sets of land taxes in that county. She needed proof of a local address... we have land with no address since there is nothing built on it and a newly-inherited house that I just changed the utility bills on... The worse part of this whole scenario is that I have a really hard time even having to BUY a pass to CG since I have NEVER had to in my entire life. I am a Retired Employee's child! Paying that $88 hurts... and then having to recreate my lifetime to some stranger makes it worse. It is like I am proving who I am and how I really am a "local"... I gave her the address to the house and of course it pops up my Grandmother's name... I tell her that she is my Grandmother who just passed away and she was a Retiree Spouse in the original Pioneer Club at CG since my Grandfather retired from there in 1991. Finally, she gave in... halleluyah. So then we head to the trails...
I gotta tell you- the outer loop of the main CG is about 6.7 miles and all I remember about it from the last time I biked it (in my highschool years) was really struggling on it. Well, I biked it twice yesterday and I rocked it! What a great feeling! I did the second loop by myself and never stopped- 6.7 miles in 26 minutes- and considering all the twists, turns, ups, downs and dodging other bikers, I feel better now about my level of ability. The race is 15 miles and surely it will be much straighter and such. Hubby and I are actually gonna make the trek up to the park where the race will be held and try to see how hilly the course is- hopefully this weekend. Once I know the course, it will tell me just how much more training I need to do in the next 32 days. My biggest worry right now is how light-headed and sluggish I felt after hopping off the bike when I finished... I felt like crap and I am not sure if I am yet capable of exerting myself like that and then move right into a 3.2 mile run... Of course, this was in the mid-day heat and the race is early in the morning. But like I said... just things to think about in the next 4+ weeks...
Not sure if today's weather will permit a bike ride after work today or not but, I did bring my bike and clothes to ride. I led the boot camp workout this morning so I did not get to exercise other than running all over the place. So a bike ride this evening will be good for me for this day of tri-training. And tomorrow evening a nice 800M-1000M swim is on the agenda... gotta love it.

Summer Veggies

My tomatoes have finally started to ripen more and more in the last week or so. This is what greeted me when I arrived home this afternoon... For all you folks in the country, this is how we garden in the city!

Blind-Siding Is Not Cool

Another shocking story, another sudden unexpected broken up marriage! I received the message last week from the wife... husband called her while out of the country on business to tell her he wants a divorce. He tells her he will be bringing the papers home with him when he returns home in a couple of days. He says that his mind is made up, that there is nothing to discuss, no negotiations, no nothing. His response when asked by the completely blindsided, bewildered wife why he wanted a divorce... he does not think that they are compatible. HUH? WTH!!!? After 12 or so years of marriage and two young daughters later and you have NOW decided that you are not compatible? That would have been my question!

And did she even have the faintest idea this was coming? Heck no! This man, her husband of 12+ years total BLINDsided her! And because they are not "compatible"... some please tell me what am I missing here! The only thing I can figure is that he must have found someone else with whom he IS compatible with in order to decide that he is NOT compatible with his wife. Or else he is coming out of the closet...? Who knows! It doesn't matter what the reason, he is an awful person for this. He told her he had been planning this for months... and then we waited until the girls just started back to school... great timing you idiot. And wouldn't you know that wife has several months left to finish her Masters degree, only has a part-time job and is basically a stay-at-home Mom/graduate student. How will she support herself and 2 young daughters?

I am seriously worried for her and all of the other 9 or so busted marriages that I know about from the past year- same crap, same circumstances, same behaviors, same stupid reasons- or no real reason at all. What is it with folks today? Why are people getting married and pledging to live the rest of lives with their spouse and then BAM one day decide to jump ship? I am really trying to understand this concept... I am trying to trace a trend of some sort to see if this is a certain "type" or group of folks that are prone to do this... I do see it happening more to those who married in their young to mid 20's and now 8 or more years after the wedding they change their mind about their spouse...?! Or is it that old concept that these people did not "sow their wild oats" before taking their vows? You know where they graduate from highschool or college and marry their sweetheart and then realize after several years of marriage and 2.5 kids later that they need a break to go party with their single buddies? That this marriage is getting in the way of their "me" time...? Puh-leeze! That is such a crock! Shame on you for being naive and stupid way back then! And now your newly ex-spouse and 2.5 kids have their worlds turned upside-down and are permanently scarred for life just because you feel like you are "trapped"... Unbelievable.

Of course, being married myself for just under three years now and having not married until my almost-mid-30's... stories like the one above really scare me. I mean how can I ever be assured that my Husband wouldn't come home one day and tell me he is over US? I mean it is possible... every thing is possible. And what do I do when I hear about these stories? I call Hubby and tell him about the current mishap... and he assures me that this will never happen to us. He tells me how much he loves me and how we are like Peas and Carrots. And that, my friends, is all we need. Period.

Attempting The Impossible

My reality slapped me really hard today. When I saw the subject line of the new email in my Inbox, my heart fluttered....and the realization of my destiny hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the official confirmation email from the Georgia multi-sports company alerting me that they have received my application for the sprint triathlon next month. Oh my word, what have I gotten myself into? Did I forget to mention that I got a wild and crazy hair and decided to sign up for a triathlon? That's right folks, I am going to attempt the impossible. I am hoping to prove to myself that I CAN exert myself for over two hours and not die in the process from heat exhaustion, heart failure or just plain ol' fatigue. And it's all for a GREAT cause- Alzheimer's research!! Heck, writing that check to the Alzheimer's Association was the easiest part! It's the actual race that worries me... and I wonder why!!???
So now it is (as of today) T minus 37 days to my newest goal... my D-Day, September 19th. 37 long days of training for the inevitable... will I make it? Your darn skippy I will! Even if it kills me....;-D

How Sweet It Is

How excited was I when I discovered this at the local grocery store last week?



They are now selling teeny-tiny little packages of mini ice creams! Seriously, they HAD to of been thinking of me when they came up with this genious idea! They are equal to one scoop or one serving of the very evil dessert, ice cream. Yet, only one serving so one cannot "accidentally" cheat and keep on eating! And they are only $1.00!! And the other great part? Even Ben & Jerrys has them!! Personally, I am a plain chocolate or mint chocolate girl myself... but, for those days that I HAVE to have something sweet... $1 will take care of that craving!! How sweet it is...

Most Portable Hair Utensil Ever

I saw this gadget on a television commercial a few weeks ago and thought it was a pretty cool idea. And then last week I found it on the shelf at BJ's Wholesale while shopping for new beach chairs.
I could not resist the $14.99 price tag while consumed with the idea that this could be the most portable hair utensil EVER.

So I bought it and lo and behold it works! I can put this in my backpack or my briefcase or my gym bag and it is so small that it takes up hardly any room! Especially with my new chopped off hair-do, it helps maintain my daily frizz... even better!! Oh, and it comes with a cute little bag to transport it and its long cord in too.

Back To The Beach!

Back to the beach again this past weekend... some really good friends of ours invited us down for the weekend in Seaside... Had a great time with a great family!