It's been forever and I have had so many random thoughts swirling I'll try to get some of them out.
Why am I writing right now? Yes, you guessed it because I am hurt AGAIN and unable to do the things I enjoy doing. Being sedentary and me don't jive. I write and think way too much. As some of you know I'm preparing for Xterra worlds in Maui. For a while I've been swimming, biking and running pain free. It's been so enjoyable. I woke up yesterday after a long weekend of work, had some coffee and some puppy snuggles and was going to go for a nice mountain run. I mean the mountains were calling to me. Bring blue skies, beautiful fall colors...breathtaking. I was putting on my running tights, as it's getting a little cool out. I got them to my knees and stood up for some reason and my back just grabbed. Right in my lower back like a burning pulse. It took me to my knees and then to my back (yes, pants 1/2 way down). I'm grimacing in pain and the dogs proceed to lick me in the face. For a second being the positive thinker I am (or in denial) I think ok, maybe this is no biggie I can still run. I struggle to put my pants on while on the floor and barely make it to crawl into the bed in a fetal position. Ugh, reality set in. So thankful for my amazing friend who is my physical therapist. I already had an appointment the next day, but I called her and she told me what to do in the mean time. I also texted my coach a bunch of f-bombs (thanks beaker for listening) in frustration. They both made me feel as good as I could at that moment. So, that's where I am right now. Stuck trying to walk and do things to get back to normal. So it means a lot of sitting time for me. I don't like it but it does allow me to get some things done that I don't normally take the time to do.
My most recent trip was AANA Annual congress in Seattle. For those that don't know it's the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. I was really looking forward to this not only because it's a great meeting, but I get to see some old friends and my best friend from Texas Carol was also going to meet me there. The best thing was being with Carol and getting to hang out and visit. She's really like a sister to me and I so enjoy her company. On a few evenings we were beat from conference and walking around the city so we just ordered room service and sat in bed and watched TV and talked. It may sound lame to some, but it was really awesome. So the conference and spending time with a good friend were the good part. There was a down side though. Maybe I've just gotten so used to the glory of Alaska and I don't like looking up and only being able to see big buildings. I like walking into the woods I guess. This time Seattle was quite depressing in a way. You walk around and are passing by, standing next to and seeing hundreds if not thousands of people. Almost everyone has a head set in their ears and is on their phone. There is almost no social interaction. I am by far not a social person with those I don't know, but I did just decide to talk to a few people. I must say everyone I did engage was very friendly. It's like they were pleasantly surprised that someone spoke to them. Why don't we talk to people anymore? It was sad to see how many drug addicted and mentally ill were roaming the streets. Don't judge....I've been in healthcare long enough I know addicts and the mentally Ill when I see them. It's sad. Carol and I talked about it and as much as we enjoyed visiting with each other we were both ready to get back home and out of the city.
Another thing I really got caught up in working on is anesthesia advocacy for the people of Alaska. I think since I became a CRNA I've been passionate about informing the public of the truth. I've been to Juneau here in Alaska and to Washington D. C. on a few occasions to educate our congress and senators on things happening in our state and nation. If the American people knew the fraud that is perpertrated on them because of anesthesia it would make them sick I think we Americans are getting wiser though. We are not blindly believing what people say simply because they are doctors. It simply amazes me how many facts by proclimation physicians and physician groups can make and I have actual facts and research and have to constantly defend my great and noble profession. If anyone wants to know more about this please feel free to contact me and I'll educate you!
Last thing for today! I am so sick of this culture of the fake, phony and entitled! Let's start with the entitled. So sick of everyone thinking they should just be given everything. Our society has somehow created people who think they don't have to EARN anything. We've all grown up right? Do you all not remember being bullied, being discriminated against for one reason or another? I do! I was bullied my whole childhood because I was a tomboy. I was good at sports, better then most of the boys and that was just not cool when I was growing up. Now it's cool to be a chick in sports! I think that's great and I'd like to think people like me who persevered paved the way to the future. Kids are bullied for all sorts of reasons now a days and I truly think the difference between then and now is parents. My parents were always there to talk to me about what was going on and to support me and say that I was special and that kids were just mean. It's true! Kids are just mean and adults too for that matter. We all know those people. The miserable people who aren't happy until you are as miserable as they are. If you don't recognize and have to deal with bullies as a child how are you supposed to deal with them as an adult? Parents need to be there to guide children though these things. Some parents now are so concerned with themselves and their image that they don't take time for all this with their kids. Let's face it...you don't really need to make all this money and have all this stuff. It's all about trying to portray this image instead of raising your kids to be good people...or just being a good person yourself. You don't need a certain car, or house, or clothes for the most part. Live within what you can afford and you're a lot less stressed and happier. Why are you trying to keep up an image for others? Figure out who you are and be just that! We all find this at different times and some never do. Those are the folks that are always trying to please others to be liked instead of being true to themselves. My friend reminded me especially for those that consider themselves Christians, Romans 12:2. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..... BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD!!!!! For those that are Christians and are working to try to impress others or have x or y...really? Hypocrites! This is why non Christians hate us and don't want to even listen to the message of Christ because they see this and don't want any part of this. Plus all those people you are trying to impress...not real friends! I have only a few real friends in this world and they know I would do anything for them and I know they'd do anything for me. That's friendship. Whether you have fancy clothes or parties or you are living in a trailer...those are real friends.
For the love of sweet baby Jesus quit telling your kids all the reasons they are not succeeding like racism, sexism, etc. They'll get enough of this if it is reality. You don't need to plant these things in their heads from the beginning so they turn into little ass hats that think the whole world is against them for the color of their skin, their sex, sexual orientation, etc. You are only giving them a reason to hate others. For the most part if you don't act like a freak or entitled little shit people are pretty fair. Does racism, discrimination and all these other things exist? Of course! They always will and no matter what we do there will always be people who hate people just because. I grew up and heard some very racist things as a child. As I grew into an adult I decided to think for myself! I now cherish having friends and family members of all races, religions, sexual orientations and those who just plain believe differently than me. It makes me think. If there is anything I can encourage people to do it's question your beliefs. Question everything. I truly believe this questioning will lead you to realizing that you have to have faith to a certain amount or you'll believe in nothing. That's a whole different conversation though.
I believe that is enough for tonight. End of thoughts. Sorry no pictures. Only thoughts this time!
Still need to do something on Xterra Canmore...maybe this week.
Love
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Xterra Hammerman Triathlon 2017
I LOVE this race! Ever since moving to Alaska I try to do this race every year. I've done many races throughout the years and this is my favorite. The Alaska Triathlon Club and Andy Duenow put on a spectacular event. It's a great course and a low key fun day! So many races are just too full with race directors trying to make as much money as possible. If I never do another one of those I'll be happy. There should be more races like this.
For those of you that don't know the race is an 800m swim in little campbell lake, a 13 or so mile trail ride on fun single tracks for the bike and the run is a challenging hilly course of about 4 miles.
Before I get to the pictures I just want to share a few things about racing in general. Here's a short list of my thoughts.
1. Don't be a snob! Don't judge people by their bike, clothes, size, skin color, sex, etc. They may just whip your ass! Triathlon is all inclusive and one of the things that separates it from other sports. There are plenty of snob sports, let's not turn this one into another one.
2. Thank the volunteers! Volunteers are what makes these races go. You're not so awesome or racing so hard that when you pass a water station you don't have time to say "thanks for volunteering".
3. Be a volunteer! After you volunteer you learn to thank the volunteers. These people give up their time so they can help you be able to do a race. If we all volunteered for just one race a year that would be great.
4. Be nice! Triathlon is a very encouraging sport. When you pass someone say "good job". It's just part of it. Encourage people it makes you and them feel good.
Ok that's my short list. Triathlon and off-road triathlon is a great sport. Tri it! :)
Here are some hammerman pictures for your enjoyment.
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| Me showing Todds place in the family competition |
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| Todd coming in strong on the run |
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| Exiting the water |
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| Transition 2 |
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| Todd coming out of the water |
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| Todd coming off the bike to T2 |
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| All smiles before the swim |
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| Me and My coach pre race |
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| Pre Race shenanigans |
Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage
It's 6am and I'm awake for some reason. I'll try to put it to good use. This past week I participated in the Ragnar Relay Northwest passage. Along the way I learned a lot of things good and bad, met some wonderful people and definitely had an experience. Interesting week to say the least!
Thursday morning began much earlier for me than usual. Got to the airport around 330 in the morning with 3 of my Alaskan Friends. We parked our cars where the plane is usually tied down as it's a free spot close to the terminal. (This parking will come back to the story later!) We caught our flight without incident and landed in Seattle to meet 8 ladies from Texas who made up the rest of our relay team. I guess I should explain what we were doing...
This particular Ragnar Relay was a 200 (ish) mile, 12 person relay to be completely continuously from the Friday morning at 6am till 8pm Saturday. Each lady ran 3 legs. Truly beautiful area and scenery.
I got roped into this by a good friend who is still in Austin. We decided that we've known each other almost 20 years. It was nice to see her even though we weren't in the same van. (We had 2 vans of 6 ladies each). I normally don't really like group activities. I spent the majority of my life in both high school and college in vans and hotel rooms with a bunch of girls in softball and volleyball. You just get over it to say the least. As I've gotten older, as we all do I guess, I've gotten to know myself better. I'm pretty introverted in my personality and I really enjoy my space and alone time. That doesn't mean I can't be social, but when given the choice I will usually choose to go out alone and find myself lost in nature.
My friend and I are similar in that way so we split a hotel room just between the 2 of us so we could spread out and really get some rest. I'm so glad we did. It was just nice. Got there Thursday night and went to bed. My friend being in Van 1 had to go really early to the start and I got to sleep in a bit. I appreciated that being a night shift person. I'm not used to being up so early. Our van got going around noon. My first let felt good! It was around 6 and 1/2 miles. It was somewhat down hill so that was nice. IT was hot though. Who would have thought this girl from that south would think 70 degrees was hot. I swear it had to be warmer though. The heat was quite a struggle for a few people, one needing IV fluids at the Emergency room. Here was my experience. After my first leg I felt great. I was able to go back to the hotel and shower and sleep a couple hours which was nice. When i was going to sleep though I had a slight headache and noticed that my HR was a little elevated. Thought nothing of it. I only began to feel worse. I thought it was going to just get better. I ended up becoming nauseated and unable to take anything in I also had diarrhea quite often. My next leg was only a little over 2 miles and it was at like 4am so it was nice and cool. I did that leg very slowly and with little energy. Felt like throwing up a few times. During this time another friend was in the ER. She felt much better after her fluids and I am so glad that she got some extra anti nausea meds. She gave me one and that helped me turn the corner. I still felt shitty, but started forcing fluids on myself. Over the next 6 hours or so I forced down fluids, electrolytes, and a little bit of food. Someone in my van offered to take my next leg which was 7 miles. I knew I didn't have the energy for it so I agreed. I actually took her last leg which at that point I thought I could gut out the 3.8 miles that she had to do. Once again I felt energy zapped and it was very slow, but dang it I gutted it out and got it done.
Let's back up to Thursday again. On the way to the hotel and packet pick up I got a phone call from an unknown number. I didn't answer, but the voicemail said it was a cop and that my jeep had been stolen. I totally thought it was a hoax so I called the police station main number. Sure enough my jeep had been stolen from where I parked it at the airport and found in someones yard here in Anchorage. I was totally in shock, but what could I do. It was gone, recovered and my husband and a friend were able to go and get it and get it to our house to begin repairs. It wasn't that bad and it is only a vehicle, but it's still very violating and annoying. You have to spend money that you wouldn't otherwise have to. I just don't understand why people need to take and touch things that don't belong to them. Jerks!
Ok, back to the timeline! After the race we all finished together with our last runner coming in. Took team pictures and there was beer and pizza at the finish. We were exhausted and ready to get to our hotels to sleep. Once again, I got my own room and so enjoyed that! I checked in, hopped in the shower then got in my comfy fluffy bed and ordered room service. I had a great bowl of crab chowder and an entire of water! It was about 1030 when I finished all this and totally crashed out! I would have loved to sleep in the next day, but when flying standby you get there when the flight is the most open. I got up around 5 or so for an 8 am flight. Couldn't sleep on the plane, but crawled right into bed with the puppies when I got home. Would have been great to see Todd, but as I was flying away from Seattle, he was heading there for work. So we waved at each other in the air.
The best thing. about this race was the people I met. Everyone has a life story and a reason for doing these type of things. I've been doing some sort of sport my whole life so nothing new to me. It was really interesting to get to chat with some of the ladies. We're all fighting different battles. Don't judge...you never know what someone is going through. You know obesity is such an epidemic in our society. It's always been so inspiring to be to see folk that are really big out there doing it! Had a really good chat with one girl and I must say I'm so inspired and proud of her. Losing weight and changing your lifestyle isn't easy. I'm probably bigger than I've ever been but not obese. I feel uncomfortable already and I can't imagine what some of these ladies and men have to go through to do these things. It takes real courage to put yourself out there with a bunch of fit people. I can't say that I'd have the courage that these people have. Good on you! Keep on keeping on. You're an inspiration to many.
Overall Race:
Overall I would say I'm glad I did this. I spent most of my high school and college life in a van or bus with a bunch of stinky athletes so I can say I wasn't particularly looking forward to that aspect. Maybe it's because of that experience that I've gotten to where I really enjoy my alone time. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I did enjoy my own hotel room though. Just a few minutes of that alone time was enough to recharge me. Know thyself I guess.
The race was too long though for me. I think something 24 hours or less would be better for me. I can't say that I'll do another of these races, but I'm open to trying other new things still.
I wish I had more pictures to share. Thanks for reading.
Thursday morning began much earlier for me than usual. Got to the airport around 330 in the morning with 3 of my Alaskan Friends. We parked our cars where the plane is usually tied down as it's a free spot close to the terminal. (This parking will come back to the story later!) We caught our flight without incident and landed in Seattle to meet 8 ladies from Texas who made up the rest of our relay team. I guess I should explain what we were doing...
This particular Ragnar Relay was a 200 (ish) mile, 12 person relay to be completely continuously from the Friday morning at 6am till 8pm Saturday. Each lady ran 3 legs. Truly beautiful area and scenery.
I got roped into this by a good friend who is still in Austin. We decided that we've known each other almost 20 years. It was nice to see her even though we weren't in the same van. (We had 2 vans of 6 ladies each). I normally don't really like group activities. I spent the majority of my life in both high school and college in vans and hotel rooms with a bunch of girls in softball and volleyball. You just get over it to say the least. As I've gotten older, as we all do I guess, I've gotten to know myself better. I'm pretty introverted in my personality and I really enjoy my space and alone time. That doesn't mean I can't be social, but when given the choice I will usually choose to go out alone and find myself lost in nature.
My friend and I are similar in that way so we split a hotel room just between the 2 of us so we could spread out and really get some rest. I'm so glad we did. It was just nice. Got there Thursday night and went to bed. My friend being in Van 1 had to go really early to the start and I got to sleep in a bit. I appreciated that being a night shift person. I'm not used to being up so early. Our van got going around noon. My first let felt good! It was around 6 and 1/2 miles. It was somewhat down hill so that was nice. IT was hot though. Who would have thought this girl from that south would think 70 degrees was hot. I swear it had to be warmer though. The heat was quite a struggle for a few people, one needing IV fluids at the Emergency room. Here was my experience. After my first leg I felt great. I was able to go back to the hotel and shower and sleep a couple hours which was nice. When i was going to sleep though I had a slight headache and noticed that my HR was a little elevated. Thought nothing of it. I only began to feel worse. I thought it was going to just get better. I ended up becoming nauseated and unable to take anything in I also had diarrhea quite often. My next leg was only a little over 2 miles and it was at like 4am so it was nice and cool. I did that leg very slowly and with little energy. Felt like throwing up a few times. During this time another friend was in the ER. She felt much better after her fluids and I am so glad that she got some extra anti nausea meds. She gave me one and that helped me turn the corner. I still felt shitty, but started forcing fluids on myself. Over the next 6 hours or so I forced down fluids, electrolytes, and a little bit of food. Someone in my van offered to take my next leg which was 7 miles. I knew I didn't have the energy for it so I agreed. I actually took her last leg which at that point I thought I could gut out the 3.8 miles that she had to do. Once again I felt energy zapped and it was very slow, but dang it I gutted it out and got it done.
Let's back up to Thursday again. On the way to the hotel and packet pick up I got a phone call from an unknown number. I didn't answer, but the voicemail said it was a cop and that my jeep had been stolen. I totally thought it was a hoax so I called the police station main number. Sure enough my jeep had been stolen from where I parked it at the airport and found in someones yard here in Anchorage. I was totally in shock, but what could I do. It was gone, recovered and my husband and a friend were able to go and get it and get it to our house to begin repairs. It wasn't that bad and it is only a vehicle, but it's still very violating and annoying. You have to spend money that you wouldn't otherwise have to. I just don't understand why people need to take and touch things that don't belong to them. Jerks!
Ok, back to the timeline! After the race we all finished together with our last runner coming in. Took team pictures and there was beer and pizza at the finish. We were exhausted and ready to get to our hotels to sleep. Once again, I got my own room and so enjoyed that! I checked in, hopped in the shower then got in my comfy fluffy bed and ordered room service. I had a great bowl of crab chowder and an entire of water! It was about 1030 when I finished all this and totally crashed out! I would have loved to sleep in the next day, but when flying standby you get there when the flight is the most open. I got up around 5 or so for an 8 am flight. Couldn't sleep on the plane, but crawled right into bed with the puppies when I got home. Would have been great to see Todd, but as I was flying away from Seattle, he was heading there for work. So we waved at each other in the air.
The best thing. about this race was the people I met. Everyone has a life story and a reason for doing these type of things. I've been doing some sort of sport my whole life so nothing new to me. It was really interesting to get to chat with some of the ladies. We're all fighting different battles. Don't judge...you never know what someone is going through. You know obesity is such an epidemic in our society. It's always been so inspiring to be to see folk that are really big out there doing it! Had a really good chat with one girl and I must say I'm so inspired and proud of her. Losing weight and changing your lifestyle isn't easy. I'm probably bigger than I've ever been but not obese. I feel uncomfortable already and I can't imagine what some of these ladies and men have to go through to do these things. It takes real courage to put yourself out there with a bunch of fit people. I can't say that I'd have the courage that these people have. Good on you! Keep on keeping on. You're an inspiration to many.
Overall Race:
Overall I would say I'm glad I did this. I spent most of my high school and college life in a van or bus with a bunch of stinky athletes so I can say I wasn't particularly looking forward to that aspect. Maybe it's because of that experience that I've gotten to where I really enjoy my alone time. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I did enjoy my own hotel room though. Just a few minutes of that alone time was enough to recharge me. Know thyself I guess.
The race was too long though for me. I think something 24 hours or less would be better for me. I can't say that I'll do another of these races, but I'm open to trying other new things still.
I wish I had more pictures to share. Thanks for reading.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Observations after a loss
My good friend in Texas just became a widow. Her husband Bryon was only 40 years old. Here are my thoughts on this whole experience.
I met Carol when I worked as a CRNA in Georgetown, Texas. Although Carol and I don't share all my as she calls "crazy" adventures (speaking of running, triathlon, etc) we bonded almost instantly. In a world where you can't trust people and even so-called "friends" are dishonest, will stab you in the back or throw you under the bus to save themselves or make themselves look better Carol and I became fast friends and knew that we'd have each others backs no matter what. Although I moved from Texas over 5 years ago now we've always stayed in touch.
I was only in the same town as Carol and Bryon for a few years we had some good times. Bryon was 6'5" tall, long arms, long legs. He was sooo funny! He always had a smile on his face and made you feel welcome. I put a link to his Obituary so you can read it. It will give you a sense of the guy he was.
I feel lucky that I just happened to have vacation scheduled at this time to be able to spend with Carol. As soon as I could I was on a flight here. I made so many observations about people these last few days. First of all, the funeral home was great! It was a comfortable place where when you walked in you felt you were at someones home. Never been to a funeral home like that! The staff were really great and took care of everything we asked for. The pastor who did not know Bryon or the family was amazing. I was very impressed at his compassion and professionalism. Thank you Pastor Ellis.
Sadly, one thing I learned is family doesn't always act like family. I'll leave out specifics here because I'm a little angry and may say some things I'd regret. Adults and kids....if you have crappy parents it's not your fault! Some people are just shitty and unfortunately they sometimes breed. Some people are just selfish and will never be able to see past themselves and their own needs. It's very unfortunate. I think the important thing for all of us to learn from people like that is that you don't want to be that way. We ALL have people like this in our families or lives somewhere. Just because you were brought up that way doesn't mean you have to continue the behavior. Your perspective is everything. I recently read something that said there were 2 sons and their father was an alcoholic. One became and alcoholic and said he was like that because he watched his father. The other became successful and not an alcoholic and he said he did this because he watched his father. Perspective is everything! Don't continue negative trends.
The other thing that was driven home to me is the difference between the funeral of a Christian and a non Christian. I have seen many people die in my career and been to some funerals in my time. In my experience there is a distinct difference between funerals/deaths involving someone who is a believer in Christ and someone who is not. While both are sad times because friends and family are losing a loved one, those that are Christians can also celebrate in the hope that they will one day be reunited with their loved one. I noticed this is the way the dying patients acted too when I worked in ICU. Not ALL, but most of the Christians that were dying and aware they were were just more at ease and seemed less anxious that those who who were not "saved". For those of you not familiar someone who is "saved" is someone who believes in and has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. I think those of us who have live with a different purpose. In my personal opinion I think we just have a comfort and a more eternal purpose and peace. Just my opinion.
I have been to funerals for non-believers as well. I must say it was one of the saddest and most heart breaking things I've been to. There was ONLY sadness. There was such a finality to it. This was it! Friends Spouses and children had lost their loved one and that was it. No hope of being reunited or them being in the glory of our creator.
Why have I chosen to write about this? It has come to me several times before, but I felt compelled finally to put it down. I completely understand people who have issues with the church, any church. Name your religion! I get angry thinking what we have done as humans to distort God and Jesus so that it fits our needs. Who decided which writings went into the bible that we currently use??? MAN! I do believe there is a lot of good in there, but who knows how it's been altered. I think that you just have to have a personal relationship with Jesus and let him guide your actions. I try to do this in my dealings with things and people. Do I make mistakes? Often. Do I do things that some Christians view as sin? Sure. I just try to love people where they are. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God right? Who am I as a sinner to judge others? Do I judge others? Sometimes for sure. Human nature is human nature and I think we all have to just do the honest best that we can with eternity in mind.
This whole thing may be a little deep for some of you. I do hope that it makes you think. I'm very science based, but I also do have faith. I think it makes for a good balance and that you can have both in your life. I think if we had more of a combination that our world would be a better place. I do not believe that intelligence and faith have to be independent of each other. I say question your life, religion, teachers, bosses, etc. If your religion does not allow for questions then you're in the wrong one! Examples are Islam, Scientology, and Mormonism
To those that say religion is a waste of time...If you are right and all we have is this short time on earth then I've tried to live a good life and impact people in a positive way for nothing, I'm worm food. If Christians are right then the non-believer has lost everything. Eternity is a pretty long time. Just my opinion though. I have been to too many places and witnessed too many miracles of nature to believe that all the beauty of our earth just sprouted with no help and that the complication of the human body is evolved from some simple being.
For those of you that question look things up. You don't have to be a church member for salvation. God is so much bigger than that. All you have to do is ask. You don't need someone to mediate between you and your savior. Simply ask for Christ to come into your life and forgive you for your sins...pretty simple huh? Look up the salvation prayer. To those of you that think your particular religion is the "only" right way..wake up! You can't put the creator of the universe in a man-made box! My usual reply to those folks are you know Jesus wasn't Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, etc.
Alright, all that was just on my mind. Hope I made some folks at least think. If not about eternity, about your affairs. Are they in order? Do you have a will and a living will? Most importantly does your family know what you want? I know for one that I need to get a few things in line.
I have here the link to Bryon's Obituary. My friend Carol wrote it herself. It's really great and I hope that you will give it a read. He was a young guy full of life who fought a tough battle till the end. While those of us who he left behind hate to be here without him, we can rejoice in knowing that we will get to hang out with him again one day. After everything else I wrote above, now you'll know what that means. :)
RIP Bryon Williams
Obituary
I met Carol when I worked as a CRNA in Georgetown, Texas. Although Carol and I don't share all my as she calls "crazy" adventures (speaking of running, triathlon, etc) we bonded almost instantly. In a world where you can't trust people and even so-called "friends" are dishonest, will stab you in the back or throw you under the bus to save themselves or make themselves look better Carol and I became fast friends and knew that we'd have each others backs no matter what. Although I moved from Texas over 5 years ago now we've always stayed in touch.
I was only in the same town as Carol and Bryon for a few years we had some good times. Bryon was 6'5" tall, long arms, long legs. He was sooo funny! He always had a smile on his face and made you feel welcome. I put a link to his Obituary so you can read it. It will give you a sense of the guy he was.
I feel lucky that I just happened to have vacation scheduled at this time to be able to spend with Carol. As soon as I could I was on a flight here. I made so many observations about people these last few days. First of all, the funeral home was great! It was a comfortable place where when you walked in you felt you were at someones home. Never been to a funeral home like that! The staff were really great and took care of everything we asked for. The pastor who did not know Bryon or the family was amazing. I was very impressed at his compassion and professionalism. Thank you Pastor Ellis.
Sadly, one thing I learned is family doesn't always act like family. I'll leave out specifics here because I'm a little angry and may say some things I'd regret. Adults and kids....if you have crappy parents it's not your fault! Some people are just shitty and unfortunately they sometimes breed. Some people are just selfish and will never be able to see past themselves and their own needs. It's very unfortunate. I think the important thing for all of us to learn from people like that is that you don't want to be that way. We ALL have people like this in our families or lives somewhere. Just because you were brought up that way doesn't mean you have to continue the behavior. Your perspective is everything. I recently read something that said there were 2 sons and their father was an alcoholic. One became and alcoholic and said he was like that because he watched his father. The other became successful and not an alcoholic and he said he did this because he watched his father. Perspective is everything! Don't continue negative trends.
The other thing that was driven home to me is the difference between the funeral of a Christian and a non Christian. I have seen many people die in my career and been to some funerals in my time. In my experience there is a distinct difference between funerals/deaths involving someone who is a believer in Christ and someone who is not. While both are sad times because friends and family are losing a loved one, those that are Christians can also celebrate in the hope that they will one day be reunited with their loved one. I noticed this is the way the dying patients acted too when I worked in ICU. Not ALL, but most of the Christians that were dying and aware they were were just more at ease and seemed less anxious that those who who were not "saved". For those of you not familiar someone who is "saved" is someone who believes in and has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. I think those of us who have live with a different purpose. In my personal opinion I think we just have a comfort and a more eternal purpose and peace. Just my opinion.
I have been to funerals for non-believers as well. I must say it was one of the saddest and most heart breaking things I've been to. There was ONLY sadness. There was such a finality to it. This was it! Friends Spouses and children had lost their loved one and that was it. No hope of being reunited or them being in the glory of our creator.
Why have I chosen to write about this? It has come to me several times before, but I felt compelled finally to put it down. I completely understand people who have issues with the church, any church. Name your religion! I get angry thinking what we have done as humans to distort God and Jesus so that it fits our needs. Who decided which writings went into the bible that we currently use??? MAN! I do believe there is a lot of good in there, but who knows how it's been altered. I think that you just have to have a personal relationship with Jesus and let him guide your actions. I try to do this in my dealings with things and people. Do I make mistakes? Often. Do I do things that some Christians view as sin? Sure. I just try to love people where they are. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God right? Who am I as a sinner to judge others? Do I judge others? Sometimes for sure. Human nature is human nature and I think we all have to just do the honest best that we can with eternity in mind.
This whole thing may be a little deep for some of you. I do hope that it makes you think. I'm very science based, but I also do have faith. I think it makes for a good balance and that you can have both in your life. I think if we had more of a combination that our world would be a better place. I do not believe that intelligence and faith have to be independent of each other. I say question your life, religion, teachers, bosses, etc. If your religion does not allow for questions then you're in the wrong one! Examples are Islam, Scientology, and Mormonism
To those that say religion is a waste of time...If you are right and all we have is this short time on earth then I've tried to live a good life and impact people in a positive way for nothing, I'm worm food. If Christians are right then the non-believer has lost everything. Eternity is a pretty long time. Just my opinion though. I have been to too many places and witnessed too many miracles of nature to believe that all the beauty of our earth just sprouted with no help and that the complication of the human body is evolved from some simple being.
For those of you that question look things up. You don't have to be a church member for salvation. God is so much bigger than that. All you have to do is ask. You don't need someone to mediate between you and your savior. Simply ask for Christ to come into your life and forgive you for your sins...pretty simple huh? Look up the salvation prayer. To those of you that think your particular religion is the "only" right way..wake up! You can't put the creator of the universe in a man-made box! My usual reply to those folks are you know Jesus wasn't Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, etc.
Alright, all that was just on my mind. Hope I made some folks at least think. If not about eternity, about your affairs. Are they in order? Do you have a will and a living will? Most importantly does your family know what you want? I know for one that I need to get a few things in line.
I have here the link to Bryon's Obituary. My friend Carol wrote it herself. It's really great and I hope that you will give it a read. He was a young guy full of life who fought a tough battle till the end. While those of us who he left behind hate to be here without him, we can rejoice in knowing that we will get to hang out with him again one day. After everything else I wrote above, now you'll know what that means. :)
RIP Bryon Williams
Obituary
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Cajunman race analysis
Cajunman 2016 is in the books. It was a good time and a great race to end my season. Of all the races that I've done over the years I have to say that it's still my favorite. Not crowded, nice people, amazing swag bag, and a Cajun style post race party. Here's the race analysis from my point of view.
Swim. I must say the water was nasty. It smelled funny for sure and I was ready to get out. There was also a snake that someone had spotted. I didn't see it, but oh well...more motivation to swim faster. I had a leak in my goggles unfortunately, but just kept going. Quite annoying since they were the goggles that I always use and have no problems with. Stuff happens I guess. Just keep going!
Bike. The bike course was really nice in my opinion. Of course the temps were 90+ so I was worried about hydration and overheating, but the route was nicely shaded in many areas. I was thankful for this. The first and last 2 miles or so were a little rough on the road. Same stretch of road, but not the worst I've ridden on. The only thing I could really say is that the dismount line was incorrectly marked. There was a line on the course about 20 feet in front of the dismount line marked dismount. They really should have covered that, it was confusing. Let me not forget to mention road kill! I forget that in Louisiana there are all sorts of little critters on the side of the road that take on a really nice smell in the heat. I could do without smelling this again. Yuck
Run. The only thing I can say about the run is thank goodness it was short because it was hot. I actually felt good for the most part. Even though the run was only 3.1 miles it was very well supported. There were several stations with water, Gatorade and Iced towels. The teenagers that were staffing some of the stations were even nice enough to splash you with water if you wanted. They were loving it! So great to see younger folks getting involved in triathlon.
Final Analysis. Like I said before this is still my favorite race. The course, the support, and just the local flare and people make this race special. It's short, sweet and has the best post race food and party you can ask for. When you start the swim you can smell the jambalaya and other Cajun concoctions smelling so good! Talk about motivation. It was also nice to meet some of the tricajuns team. I sure wish this group had been around when I was living there. What a great group of people. Such a nice group to have in the community.
Thanks. Thanks again to my mom and dad for hosting me, feeding and supporting me. Of course the biggest thanks goes to my sister and event director. She woke up early with me, carried a bunch of crap and stood in the sun for hours to support me. Oh and all the driving she did...I'm thankful, because I was just so tired!
That's it folks. Here are a few pictures from the day!
Swim. I must say the water was nasty. It smelled funny for sure and I was ready to get out. There was also a snake that someone had spotted. I didn't see it, but oh well...more motivation to swim faster. I had a leak in my goggles unfortunately, but just kept going. Quite annoying since they were the goggles that I always use and have no problems with. Stuff happens I guess. Just keep going!
Bike. The bike course was really nice in my opinion. Of course the temps were 90+ so I was worried about hydration and overheating, but the route was nicely shaded in many areas. I was thankful for this. The first and last 2 miles or so were a little rough on the road. Same stretch of road, but not the worst I've ridden on. The only thing I could really say is that the dismount line was incorrectly marked. There was a line on the course about 20 feet in front of the dismount line marked dismount. They really should have covered that, it was confusing. Let me not forget to mention road kill! I forget that in Louisiana there are all sorts of little critters on the side of the road that take on a really nice smell in the heat. I could do without smelling this again. Yuck
Run. The only thing I can say about the run is thank goodness it was short because it was hot. I actually felt good for the most part. Even though the run was only 3.1 miles it was very well supported. There were several stations with water, Gatorade and Iced towels. The teenagers that were staffing some of the stations were even nice enough to splash you with water if you wanted. They were loving it! So great to see younger folks getting involved in triathlon.
Final Analysis. Like I said before this is still my favorite race. The course, the support, and just the local flare and people make this race special. It's short, sweet and has the best post race food and party you can ask for. When you start the swim you can smell the jambalaya and other Cajun concoctions smelling so good! Talk about motivation. It was also nice to meet some of the tricajuns team. I sure wish this group had been around when I was living there. What a great group of people. Such a nice group to have in the community.
Thanks. Thanks again to my mom and dad for hosting me, feeding and supporting me. Of course the biggest thanks goes to my sister and event director. She woke up early with me, carried a bunch of crap and stood in the sun for hours to support me. Oh and all the driving she did...I'm thankful, because I was just so tired!
That's it folks. Here are a few pictures from the day!
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| My Driver |
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| Post race eats in Austin |
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| Post Race |
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| Race Swag |
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Mount Marathon 2016 Seward, Alaska
Mount Marathon Seward, Alaska...what an experience! If you are unfamiliar with the race please feel free to watch the above video to see what I'm talking about. July 4, 2016
The Race
Mount marathon is probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done. Both physically and mentally it's relentless. It's up, up, up the whole time. Usually if you've ever been on a mountain you go up, then find a switchback, or a level place even if for a few minutes. Nope, not on this mountain. It's constantly up all the way to the top. You're leaning forward the whole time, legs and lungs shouting out for relief only to find none. Once to the top it's time to go down! This is my favorite part except for the large area of snow that was at the beginning of the downhill this year. It really scared me pretty good my first time down it in training and caused a nice ice burn on one of my arms. Needless to say I wasn't looking forward to it in the race. It's when you just say suck it up buttercup and go! It's race day after all! I had some bike arm sleeves so slipped them on before the snow patch and wore them on the way down. I went down the snow pretty slow, but felt more under control at least. I emerged from the snow unscathed and it was time to haul ass down the scree field. This is the part I love. I mean don't get me wrong your quads are burning all the way down, but it burns so good and you're flying down as compared to the slow slog up. This sounds great, but you still can't let your concentration lapse for one second. Every step counts and a wrong step can end in a sprain, broken bone or worse case a nasty tumble down the mountain. After the scree field you get to a creek bed. The creek bed is somewhat less steep, but it's wet and slippery of course....yes, the mountain is not ready to release you yet! After navigating the creek bed you pick your poison on the way down. I chose to come up and go down the cliffs. It's a solid rock wall with rocks that can come loose, so you have to be careful every step and watch for falling rocks that others may send down on your head. When coming down at the end you're legs are so spent you have to watch every step. One misstep and boom....let's just say EMS is sitting right at the bottom of this cliff with a stretcher. After clearing the cliffs you strike your favorite pose on Glory Rock and head down to the street for the 1/2 mile jaunt to the finish. It's on pavement which I normally don't like, but it's a welcomed piece of flat land. The finish run is nice. Everyone is wanting to slap your hand and yelling for you. It pushes you through to the finish for sure. At the finish there was a nice young man waiting to spray me down with a hose. It helped to cool me off and clean me up a bit. The mountain is a little dirty!
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| The race crew |
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| Hanging with the girls before the race |
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| Me and Cindy before the race start |
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| Best race husbands ever! |
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| The crew the night before the race. Great people |
Pre-Race
As soon as I found out about winning an entry into this race my focus changed and I became obsessed with the mountain. I went to Seward several times to learn the right way to climb this mountain as there are many different routes and things to watch for. I think I went there three times with my friend Cindy (a 10+ year veteran of the race) and once with my friend Mary (a 2015 Mount Marathon finisher). It was so nice to have their experience to guide me. They were invaluable!
In my training I also kept up with lifting weights, riding my mountain bike, running and I did as much climbing around Anchorage as I could. We are in no shortage of mountains in Anchorage.
Thank You
Now it's time for the most important part....the thanks!
First of all I have to thank Advanced Physical Therapy Alaska. They sponsored my entry to this great event. I also have to thank my Sports Physical Therapist Zuzana Rogers. It's because of her than I was able to do this an all the other events I've done the last year. She's amazing and keeps me healthy! Next I have to thank Chad Guthrie, CRNA. He's my amazing coworker who offered to cover my shift on a holiday weekend. Those of you who don't always have to work holidays like we in healthcare do don't understand how hard it is to find someone to cover a shift like that. Thanks Chad you are the man! I can't say enough how thankful I am for my amazing husband. He is so supportive of all the crazy things that I want to do and he not only encourages me, but his example pushes me to want to be better every day. He's sacrificed in so many ways, especially in doing extra stuff around the house when his wife is driving to Seward on her days of to climb a mountain. I love you Todd with all my heart! Thanks for being the most amazing man I've ever met and for choosing to spend your life with me. To my friend Ansley who at the last minute did 1/2 a night shift for me so I could get a little sleep a couple days before the race! She rocks! She always tells me I'm crazy for doing all this stuff I do, but she's always there to cheer me on and support the craziness. Mary Holman is a rock star! She drove me to Seward in her RV and spent the night with me to climb the mountain. What a great friend. It was nice to climb with her and have her insights into to race since she completed mount marathon herself in 2015. Jessica and Ben Jule were also great supporters and friends. They gave me their RPod RV for a night and I pulled it to Seward on yet another day when I was going to climb the mountain. It was so nice of them to trust me with their RV. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to drive down, get a good nights sleep then climb the mountain. It's tough to drive, climb and then drive back in one day. It's a little exhausting since it's a 2-3 hour drive one way. My race director and my sister Amy! She totally rocks. She found us an perfect house right in Seward. It was quiet and in a great location. Who else would have thought of the April heads on a stick she got? EPIC AMY! She is the best race supporter ever. She is an amazing organizer and takes care of all the details. No, you can't have her...she's mine! What race shall we do next Amy? My neighbor and all around awesome chick Sarah Spindler helped out more than she knows. On many days when I was gone overnight to Seward Sarah stepped in and fed and loved my puppies. I hope she knows how grateful I am for all she does. I'll miss her when she moves. Another great friend Kim Hoback watched the puppies for the 4th of July on race weekend so they weren't scared of the fireworks. Kim has been such a great friend on so many levels. Love ya girl! To my partner in crime at work Lois Miller! She's climbed stairs with me and encouraged me along the way. She took it easy on me the weekend before and let me rest my legs. Thanks Lois...you rock! I have to give the highest thanks to my friend and mentor Cindy Kupczynski. She's my mount marathon hero. She spent so much time with me going through the mountain step by step, giving advice and telling me things to notice and watch out for. I literally could not have done this without her. Cindy I truly appreciate you so much. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. To all my other friends who supported me and encouraged me along the way. Some are amazing athletes like Jess Walsh who I want to be like when I grow up. My other friends who came out to support me on race day and made me laugh with the Aprils on a stick. Cindy Sparks, Holly Chelmo, Ben & Jess, Ansley, Mary, D'Ana, Wendy, Lisa and so many more. I can't tell you how many messages of support I got from so many people. Thank you all! I'm truly blessed to have this group of awesome people in my life.
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| A little post race care from the Advanced Physical Therapy team |
Well, it's Hammerman time! Xterra Hammerman is on July 16. I may not be in top form, but I've got a couple weeks to get ready. I've stayed on the bike, but definitely haven't swam enough. When I found out about mount marathon I totally skewed my training toward climbing. I believe it will help me, but till then I'll get more specific.
After Hammerman, there's the Moose Nugget Tri in August here in Anchorage. Very excited about this new race. Looking forward to racing and supporting it. My last race of the season is the Cajunman in Lafaytte, Louisiana. Going back to my hometown to race. It will be nice because it's a flat course. Something that I'm not used to anymore. It's one of the races I did very early in my triathlon life and I look forward to getting to race it again. It was always one of my favorites.
After all this I'm taking some time off from racing. I'm not sure for how long. I'd like to focus on nutrition and strength training again. Try to improve my fitness and deal with some issues I need to conquer! It's time.
A few more pictures from the race itself. It was an amazing experience. If you ever have the chance to watch or participate do it!
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| Post race Marathon Blonde with Amy at the Seward Brewery |
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| Silly Amy |
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| Glory Rock Pose |
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| Me, Mary and Todd before the race |
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| A quickie climb the day before the race |
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Not just a routine cabin trip
A few of you know that we've been itching to get back to the cabin after being away from it all winter. Well, we finally got there on Monday afternoon. It was pretty windy at lake hood for our take off, but things settled down once we were on our way. Once arriving at the cabin it's like you can just breathe deeper. There's almost no way to quite describe our little getaway home away from home. The dogs hopped out and excitedly ran the perimeter barking and announcing their presence. They were very excited to be back as well. We spent Monday afternoon and after waking up on Tuesday I went fishing and Todd cut the grass. I thought I was going to strike out, but I found a good spot where they were biting and caught us some lunch. Todd finished repairing the damage to the dock that the ice had done and then he filleted our fish and fried them up! YUM!!!!
After our amazing lunch we started packing up and closing up the cabin as Todd had to leave on a work trip on Wednesday. This is where the not so fun part comes. We loaded up as usual dogs down and curled up in the back. Had a little trouble starting up the plane which is not the norm, then funny sounds, and other issues that I'm not even qualified to talk about. Let's just say something wasn't right. The engine cut out finally and Todd got out and paddled us back to our parking spot at the cabin. It was obvious that we were not going anywhere.
Many phone calls later we think we know what the problem is. It will require a mechanic and us getting a ride out from the lake. We tried several friends with planes without success because they were either out of town or all still on wheels for the winter. Oh well, we were able to secure a ride with regal air. They did an amazing job and I am thankful they were able to get us out in time for Todd to make it to work.
Ok so why did i share all this??? As soon as we had issues I realized a great thing. This did not happen while we were in flight. Whatever is going on in there I think would have led to a loss of engine power and Todd would have had to set us down in the nearest lake (hopefully) or on the tundra. That could have been bad! Don't get me wrong I have the utmost confidence in Todds flying ability so I wasn't nervous there, but I was happy that this happened on our lake with our nice warm cabin on it. No one was injured, we have food to live forever at the cabin, etc. Just so many reasons to be thankful. I did not complain for one minute that we couldn't get home or that who knows how much it will cost us to fix the plane, get a ride out, etc. I was just happy we were all safe and sound.
Moral of my story....don't get upset with some things that could be much, much worse. Life is short. Be thankful....that is all.
After our amazing lunch we started packing up and closing up the cabin as Todd had to leave on a work trip on Wednesday. This is where the not so fun part comes. We loaded up as usual dogs down and curled up in the back. Had a little trouble starting up the plane which is not the norm, then funny sounds, and other issues that I'm not even qualified to talk about. Let's just say something wasn't right. The engine cut out finally and Todd got out and paddled us back to our parking spot at the cabin. It was obvious that we were not going anywhere.
Many phone calls later we think we know what the problem is. It will require a mechanic and us getting a ride out from the lake. We tried several friends with planes without success because they were either out of town or all still on wheels for the winter. Oh well, we were able to secure a ride with regal air. They did an amazing job and I am thankful they were able to get us out in time for Todd to make it to work.
Ok so why did i share all this??? As soon as we had issues I realized a great thing. This did not happen while we were in flight. Whatever is going on in there I think would have led to a loss of engine power and Todd would have had to set us down in the nearest lake (hopefully) or on the tundra. That could have been bad! Don't get me wrong I have the utmost confidence in Todds flying ability so I wasn't nervous there, but I was happy that this happened on our lake with our nice warm cabin on it. No one was injured, we have food to live forever at the cabin, etc. Just so many reasons to be thankful. I did not complain for one minute that we couldn't get home or that who knows how much it will cost us to fix the plane, get a ride out, etc. I was just happy we were all safe and sound.
Moral of my story....don't get upset with some things that could be much, much worse. Life is short. Be thankful....that is all.
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