Triathlon...that's right. I'm still going *sigh*

Ok. So I haven't done as well on this as I hoped. True to form, I started off with a bang and then wasn't so gung-ho after a while.
But...I'm going to try to justify it a little. The 2nd week of November I got devastating news that left me in a stupor for a while. Then it got cold. Then I got sick. So...I'm no longer brave enough to exercise outside (because of the sick). So....the last week of November I joined a gym. Never thought it would happen. Never.
It's ok, though. I started a Zumba class. That's interesting. Here's my progress on my triathlon. No...I still haven't done the swimming. *sigh*

Nov 5 - 3 mile run (when I say "run", I usually mean a walk/run)
Nov 8 - 1.5 mile run (this is the day of the devastating news...and then the cold...and then the sickness)
Nov 28 - 2 mile run (Joined the gym)
Dec 1 - 2 mile run, 15 mile bike
Dec 2 - 2 mile run, 15 mile bike
Dec 5 - 2 mile run
Dec 8 - 2 mile run, 7 mile bike


Still left:
Bike - 37.5 miles
Swim - 2.4 miles

I guess I can be proud of myself for not quitting...even though I really wanted to. I figure I can finish the biking by next week and then I'll have to see if Holly will teach me swimming :0)

Triahlon Progress

Hey y'all. Just got back from Texas and thought I'd better update my pitiful progress on my triathlon. At this rate, it might be the longest it took anyone to finish a tri.

10/18
Bike 16.5 miles
10/19
Run 3.0 miles
Bike 5.0 miles
10/20
3.0 miles
10/21
0
10/22
Bike 16.0 miles
10/24
0
10/25
0
10/26
0
10/27
0 (yikes...this is getting scary)
10/28
Run 3.0
10/29
0
10/31
0
11/1
Run 3.0

Then I came home from my trip (today), and there's snow on the ground. I guess it's time to get in all of the swimming that I've been putting off.

Still have:
Swim: 2.4 miles
Bike: 74.5 miles
Run: 14.2 miles

*sigh* I could use some motivation.

Triathlon

Every year for the last few years, the Bailey Family has done a Weight Loss Challenge from May through September.
Every year I enter. Every year I come up short.
This year Matt was the big winner, but he asked us to extend the challenge for another 4 months for more motivation. Basically it's double or nothing (there is a cash prize :0)
We are now a month into the second half of the challenge, and I've gained since our original weigh in.
All spring and summer long I ran and biked to help me with the challenge.
I like biking. I don't love running, but I don't hate it as much as I used to.

I heard about a triathlon last Spring that was a two-week long event. I'm not exactly sure how they did that and kept track of everything, but I had the crazy idea yesterday to do one over a period of time.

I think I'll do ok with the biking. I think I'll even do decent with the running (as far as getting it done...maybe not for the best time). I'm worried about the swimming. I don't swim.

I struggle with remembering not to breathe through my nose. I have a struggle having my entire face underwater all at once. I just struggle with swimming.

So...let's get to it. I'm going to overcome this weakness in my life. I'll try to keep you updated on how I do. I'm hoping to be done in about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks. I'm traveling in the middle, so that may disrupt the schedule a little.

I'm off to bike!!

Cabin Update

Cabin Update:
Here's the inside of the cabin and the joists that Alan, Ross and I worked on. I am happy to report that one of the joists was cut too short, but it wasn't by me :0)



After the joists were put in, Alan and I put down some insulation and then the subfloor sheathing. I left one board in the front without screws so that we can put in a time capsule under the floor. Any ideas of what to include?



Next project: Brick around the foundation. They burned down a house up the street and I asked if I could take some of the adobe bricks that made up the walls of the house. We tried out a few and it looks good!!



Here's my pile of bricks that Sarah and I collected. Should be plenty. I hope.



Autumn helped Brother King and I start laying the brick. I had no idea how much mortar I would need, so I only got a couple of bags to see how far it would go. Here's some of what we got done. I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do at the top. We are talking about turning the top brick horizontally. Any thoughts?

Floor

I have floor joists! Alan came and helped for a while last week and I snapped this shot.
Ross also came and helped for about 1/2 hour and he got more done in those 30 minutes than I had all day. You can definitely tell he has more experience. He cut one of the boards short...though, which made me feel really good. I had some extras because I figured that I would do that :0)
Next project: Time capsule. Any suggestions on what I should put in it before I put down the floor?

Ok...ok

Ok...ok. I know. I haven't posted anything in months. Sorry. I'll repent.

Here is a quick update on my crazy cabin project.
The Kings came over a while back and we straightened out the front wall as much as we could. It still is crooked, so the door will hang straight, but it looks like it's crooked. If we hung the door according to the wall, the door wouldn't be able to swing inside :0) Such is life.
Sid Facer is the one who did the foundation brick work. He came and knocked out the brick for the doorway (just one layer down...can ya tell?) It was quite a process.



Now we've been working on getting that doorway the right size and the door the right size. They had to trim the door off the bottom because it was built for a house with 9' ceilings. Long ago, this was my mom and dad's kitchen door. I wanted a door that had a window since there are no windows in the cabin except for upstairs.
Looks like we'll have to reach to our knees to twist the doorknob. Oh well. Worse things have happened.



Now I've got the lumber all ready to go for the floor. We're going to lay 2x6 joists and put down insulation and a nice subfloor. I don't know yet what will go on top of it, but that will be a ways down the road anyway.

Oregon Trail and the need of a social life

I love wintertime, but there are times when the cold and the darkness can be dreary. Volleyball hasn't started, so the nights are just, well....boring. This Friday I was contemplating my life as I sat on the couch and tried not to watch the Australian Open with my mom. Not that I don't like tennis, it's just that it hits me sometimes how very sad and depressing my life is. I mean, it was a Friday night. I should be out on the town doing something fun. I'm single and can be kinda fun, right? Anyway, enough being ornery about my non-existent social life.
The point of my ranting is that I discovered something fun that will help those of us with no evening time hobbies and no social life to waste time properly..."Oregon Trail". Those of you who were in Elementary school in the 80s might remember the game on the awesome old-school Apple computers. I bought an Ipod touch a couple of months ago (which I love, by the way) and I found a fun new version of the old game from my youth. I invested the 99 cents for some entertainment.
It is, of course, not exactly like the old-school version. It is extremely updated as far as the graphics. It also has some other fun extras. It gives you options to play different games to win food, fix your wagon, fish and hunt. You can pan for gold for win money and in the forts and towns, you have the option of buying supplies and also playing a "Simon Says" type game at the telegraph office. Another fun option is meeting notable characters from the Old West and learning some history (I think that was the point of the game in the first place). You can deliver packages for people and give people rides for a fee.
I didn't fare too well. I was WAY behind schedule and two of my sweet daughters were carried away by a giant bird, but it was a fun way to waste my depressing Friday night. I finished the game today with my nieces and nephew (I couldn't finish on Friday night because my battery died...it can be a much longer version as well) and they were getting the biggest kick out of it. It shouldn't have surprised me...I was their age when I discovered "Oregon Trail" as well! It's never been more fun to have typhoid and dysentery!

The Ending of an Era

For the last year and a half or so, I have had the privilege of serving in the Manti Temple as an ordinance worker. One day, my dad admitted to me that he'd submitted my name to work there. "Like I don't have anything better to do." I retorted. There was a pause as he looked me square in the eye and then replied "No....you don't." It hit me like a slap on the face. It was true. No matter what was going on in my life and how busy I was with work and church callings and life, I still had an obligation and a desire to serve in the temple. Well, what better way that to have an assignment?
When I was called down to visit with the Temple President and was given this special calling, I chose to work on Tuesday Evening so that I could ride down with my dad. There's something about being with my dad one on one. I haven't had a lot of opportunities for that in my life unless I was doing chores with him.
But those days are now past. He announced last night that he's not going to be working on Tuesdays anymore. His farming responsibilities are too demanding and he feels like they need him more on Saturday.
Most days when we'd ride to Manti, the conversations were few and far between. But on the way home...that's when things got exciting. He'd tell me stories about growing up. He'd tell me stories about sheepherding. He'd tell stories of hunting. He'd tell me what had happened to him that day at the temple or stories that someone had told him. He'd tell about people he saw and then tell how he knew them and how he was glad to see them at the temple. He'd tell stories about whatever was on his mind. Usually it was something that had happened that sparked a memory.
Last week he told about going to Ephraim with Oliver as a deacon and going swimming. Then, they'd stop at a small cafe (he pointed out where it used to be) and buy dinner.
"You could buy a hamburger for two bits, fries for 15 cents, and a drink for 10. You were set if you had four bits." He told me.
I asked where he got his money as a teenager.
"Oh, I had my milk money", he replied.
He told about milking the cows. He told about the milk truck from Spring City that would come and pick up the milk and that he would get a check for about $3.00 every week. He told about those people that were Grade A and about his friend Gary who milked for Devon Mikkelsen. He earned a dollar a day, so he got $7.00 a week. Then he told a story about when Devon's bacteria levels in his milk went sky high. He couldn't figure out what was going on, but Gary was there one day when a lady that lived across the street came and dipped her cat's bowl into the tank. She never washed the dish, and that's what was causing the bacteria. He laughed as he remembered.
Sometimes we'd stop and get a hamburger on the way home. He'd always comment on the burger. He likes a good hamburger, you know, and is pretty particular about them.
I'm going to miss those hamburgers.
I'm going to miss his latest query when we were ready to leave, "Well, should we take your outfit?" or "Well, what are we going in? The Mitsubichi?" I always laughed on the inside not only because of the mispronunciation, but because I drive a Toyota.
My trips to Manti will be pretty boring from now on.