Another productive day

It was cold and rainy all day, so I didn't go for a run or a bike ride (now would be a great time to have that indoor trainer I have my eye on on ebay), but I did get a lot done on DD's room. I finally finished the drywall, put the metal corner strips on, taped the seams and corners and applied first layer of joint compound (aka 'mud') to the closet and her room. I was also able to apply the second layer of mud to the closet, but will have to wait till tomorrow to do the second layer in DD's room. Hopefully I can get started early enough to get the third layer on later tomorrow. Once that's all dry, as long as I don't need a fourth layer, I'll be ready to paint! Wahoo! Progress!

I finally sat down and submitted quote requests to a couple mobile storage places. Should have done that a long time ago- so far, the lowest quote is half what I'm paying now for the storage units. Even after factoring in the delivery fee, it'll be a lot cheaper. Plus, when it comes time to move, we just load the rest of our stuff (the things we're currently using) into it, and they'll haul it where it needs to go. Not sure how much that will be, but probably cheaper than the U-Haul we used coming out here. We used the biggest truck they have and it was a tight squeeze, and we have since acquired some larger items, so I don't think we'll fit in the same size truck again. Plus, I really don't enjoy driving trucks that big. I can do it (I did drive for UPS one summer), but I find it rather nerve-wracking.

Second triathlon results and comparison

2nd Triathlon
(750 m swim, 13 mile bike, 3.5 mile run)

273rd out of 298 finishers
29th out of 31 in my age group
123rd out of 143 females

Swim: 25:15.6 (pace: 29.81 sec/lap)
T1: 2:52.8
Bike: 1:01:21.9 (pace: 4.71 min/mile)
T2: 3:32.1
Run: 39:55.6 (pace: 11:25 min/mile)

Total: 2:12:57.9

1st Triathlon
(500 m swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run)

354th out of 379 finishers
42nd out of 45 in my age group
164th out of 181 females

Swim: 16:55.9 (pace: 30.19 sec/lap)
T1: 5:02.6
Bike: 1:00:17 (pace: 5.01 min/mile)
T2: 1:10.9
Run: 34:30.8 (pace: 11:07 min/mile)

Total: 1:57:57.1


Both times there were 25 people who finished after me. My swim improved, despite the goggle and breathing problems at the beginning, the walk to the other pool, my difficulties getting out of the second pool and the increased distance. My T1 time improved dramatically: no clothes being pulled on. The bike leg also improved, despite the increased distance and the 8 miles of hills. My T2 was longer, but that was because of the potty break. Interestingly, my running pace got worse, even though I felt better and ran more of it (I thought). Not sure what was going on there. So overall, I improved, though of course there is room for lots of improvement. Good incentive to keep working out throughout the winter to prepare for the next triathlon season.

Some progress today

This morning I swam laps for an hour, logging a total of 66 laps. I tried to work on form and do some drills, and if I can keep this up, come spring I should be a lot faster and more confident in my swimming abilities. This is important since there's a triathlon I want to do that has a 1500 meter open water swim. The bike ride is 23 miles and the run is 6 miles. Those I can handle, it's the nearly-one-mile in open water that worries me.

Today I bought wood for shelves for the closet and to make a trundle bed box for DD's bed. The toddler bed I bought her is too big, unfortunately, so I have to make a bed for her that will fit in the space available. We finally got the electrical in DD's room done, so I can put up the last two pieces of drywall and start mudding and taping tomorrow. Once all the mudding is done, I can paint and then put the shelves in the closet and finally organize some of my stuff that's been stashed wherever I can find a spot. I can also paint DD's room and get the carpet and pad down and finish things off in there. It's taking longer than I hoped, but about as long as I expected.

The other night I finished one of my quilt tops, it turned out to be just a lap quilt size, so it didn't take too long. DD took a fancy to the fabric, so I used some of the pieces to make a doll-size pillow and quilt. She is loving them! Her lambie is constantly taking naps, wrapped up in the quilt and laying on the pillow. It's very cute. Since I finished the second quilt top, I started the third, but this one will take longer to finish- there's a lot more pieces. After that, one more and then I'm done with the piecing.
Nap time for DD and lambie, lambie using her new pillow and quilt, with 'blankie' on top.

Running skirts are great

Yesterday I was really fighting the blahs/feelings of depression/feelings that things just weren't right. It's not so bad today, but I've been wanting to eat everything in sight (not a usual occurrence) and now I'm thinking it's a product of my out-of-whack hormones as that time of the month approaches. Fun for me.


I went for a four mile walk with DD today. I was going to go for a longer one, then remembered that I have to break in my new shoes before next Saturday, and I best not overdo it on the first day wearing them. They didn't give me any problems, and felt a lot better than the shoes I've been wearing. I also wore my new running skirt. I really like it, though I think the shorts under it could be a bit longer. That's probably just because I'm not used to wearing short shorts. The thing I really liked was that the shorts could ride up or bunch up or do whatever they want, as they tend to do on anyone who's not stick thin (I'm definitely not a twig), but the skirt part covers all that! No tugging, fidgeting, or worrying about how goofy you look. I think I'm definitely a running skirt convert. I'll have to try some other brands too, but this is the one I've got, the Sugoi Essence Wrap Skirt:

Doctor appointments with a toddler

This morning I got some blood drawn as part of the physical my doctor is doing. I took DD with me and she got rather concerned. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she was pretty sure it wasn't good. Of course, this is also the little girl who freaked out (on more than one occasion) when the nurse put a blood pressure cuff on me to take my blood pressure. She was convinced it was hurting me. In both cases I'm not sure why she would think I was being hurt, because I was very careful not to act like I was in pain (which I wasn't, but you can't be too careful). After the blood draw, we went downstairs and I breathed into a tube for ten minutes. This supposedly measures my metabolic rate or something. In any case, DD was worried about this as well, though I don't blame her on this one. I had this big blue plastic pincher thing on my nose so I wouldn't breathe through my nose, and this long plastic tube coming out of my mouth. Kinda scary looking.

After that, we rushed over to the dentist and DD got her teeth cleaned, which is why she went with me to the doctor in the first place. I try to avoid taking her to the doctor with me, if at all possible. I had a checkup a few weeks after my miscarriage last summer, and I had asked them if there was going to be any kind of exam. They said no, so I went ahead and brought DD with me. Of course, they did an exam, and DD freaked. This one is also understandable, because OB/GYN exams are just not fun, in any way, shape, or form. I had her sit on my chest as I laid on the table, but she was not happy about the whole thing. But I digress. Her teeth look good, but the dentist said that based on the crowding already occurring and her overbite, she will need braces. Yay. Something for all of us to look forward to in 10 years or so.

I've almost decided I need to stop reading other peoples' blogs. I like finding out what old friends are doing, but it can be painful, too. A lot of them have their husbands home, they have their own houses, and they're busy re-populating the earth. None of which is happening for me right now. I was looking at one friend's blog, and she just announced she's pregnant. I'm happy for her, but at the same time I'm sad/jealous/depressed/mad at my stupid body. I realize most of it is just a phase: DH will return, he'll get a real job, and we'll get a house. I don't know that we'll be able to get pregnant (and stay pregnant), and I have a hard time with that. I have no problem with adopting, I'm pretty sure we'll adopt at least one child, but I would really like to have a 'good' pregnancy. DD was a hard pregnancy and delivery, and it would be nice to have one that's not so bad. There's no guarantees that that would be the case (other than losing weight and being more physically active should help), but I keep holding out hope.

In addition to the scrapes I suffered Saturday morning, some lovely (and large) purple bruises have appeared on my legs and around my knees. I knew I was going to bruise, but I wasn't expecting quite so many...

I fought the pool...

...and the pool won.

This morning I finished my second triathlon (yay me!). I had a rocky start: I hadn't settled my goggles, I hadn't taken a couple deep breaths, and it threw me off for a few laps. Once I got into my groove, though, it wasn't too bad. We did 17 lengths in the indoor pool, hopped out, walked outside and up a hill to the outdoor pool and did 15 more lengths. The battle occurred at the end of the 15 laps in the outdoor pool. The 'shallow' end was 4'6" deep, and the lip of the pool was a good foot or more above the water line. At 5'1" (on a good day), I had a real problem getting enough leverage to get out. I couldn't hop/jump/launch myself high enough out of the water to pull myself over the edge. I ended up hooking my leg over the float thingy, straddling it, and then kind of rolling out and onto the concrete. In the process, I scraped both knees and, I'm sure, looked like a beached whale. I limped off to the transition area, bruised and bloodied, but not giving up.

The bike ride was 13 miles, or twice around a 6.5 mile loop. I have no idea how they managed to find such a horrible route, but the first 4 miles was a looong, gradual uphill. Basically, it sucked. I survived both loops, and headed into the transition area. I had been drinking from my camelback (I got really dehydrated last time), but of course had to pee by the time I finished the bike ride. So, while I didn't have problems with dehydration again, I did have to stop for a potty break between the bike and run.

The run went a lot better this time than last. It was a bit longer (3.5 miles), but I managed to only walk on the uphills, and was able to run the entire last mile or so and was able to sprint a bit at the end. Last time I managed to speed up from a stagger/walk to a stagger/slow jog for the last little bit, but that was it. Oh yes, and my shins didn't bother me this time either.

Overall, despite the increased difficulty, I felt better physically and had a good time. I need to cut at least 30 minutes off my overall time if I want to be competitive, and I think I'll be working on that this winter. I'm getting an indoor trainer so I can keep riding my bike, and my parents are getting a treadmill, so I can keep running, and I will continue to go to the pool and swim laps once a week. So, by next spring when things start up again, I should be in a lot better shape and be able to do a lot better.

Scrape on left knee: angle is bad, so it doesn't look that bad, but it will definitely have some bruising.

Scrape on right knee- quite painful, and the one that bled. Angle of the picture makes is look smaller than it is. It's definitely big enough to hurt and make bending my knee painful.

On the way home, I stopped by a running store and bought a new pair of shoes and a running skirt. My current shoes just aren't doing it for me anymore, and the other day I realized that all my bike shorts have padding in them. I don't feel like running a half marathon in padded shorts, even the lighter padding in my triathlon shorts, but I do want something shorter than my capri-length running tights. Runner's World recently had an article about running skirts, and I've seen them around at different events, and I decided to give them a try. We'll see how it works out. I bought a Sugoi wrap skirt that has shorts under it. I've seen running skirts that don't have shorts under them, and I really don't want to know how that works: they're pretty short skirts. I'd be afraid of a breeze coming along. Part of why I picked the skirt I did is that it was the longest the store had. I haven't shown my pasty-white thighs in years, and don't really feel comfortable showing too much of them just yet.

After I got home, I spent the entire afternoon helping my BIL empty out the storage shed at the in-laws' place. He's PCSing to another state in a couple weeks and really needed to sort through all his stuff that's been stored for the last 10-15 years. This meant first emptying the entire shed and dividing everything up based on who it belonged to. We managed to reduce his pile (quite large) to just 5 or 6 boxes. SIL and her husband came and got all their stuff, which freed up a lot of space, and it looked like rain so we put the in-laws' things back in with out going through it, other than to try to group similar things together. The shed is so much emptier, and so much more usable now! It's amazing what can happen when you get rid of things (there is now a mountain of boxes of junk that have to be disposed of, but at least it's not in the shed anymore), and don't keep everything for years and years and years.

Anyway, between putting up sheet rock yesterday, doing the triathlon this morning, and then hauling boxes in and out and around all afternoon, I'm sore and don't expect to be able to move tomorrow.

Drywall everywhere

Well, after a very less-than-efficient day yesterday, I managed to be quite efficient today. We went for an easy four mile bike ride (as easy as you can get out here), talked to DH, drywalled most of DD's room (I'm really glad it's a very small room, and I have only one short wall left, the one we have to do the electrical on first), went and picked up my packet for the triathlon tomorrow, and stopped at Home Depot on the way home to get the necessary electrical stuff.

I spent about 5 or 6 hours on the drywall, and did it all myself (cutting to size, putting in place, and screwing in place) except for one piece on the ceiling that was just a bit too big for me to hold in place and screw the screws in, so my younger brother helped on that one. By the time I was done, my dark blue pants were white from all the drywall dust, and I was soooo dirty and disgusting. I don't think a shower has felt so good in quite awhile.

I got the dreaded phone call from my SIL, requesting that I babysit her kids next Tuesday and Wednesday. I knew it was coming, but was hoping it wouldn't. She did mention that she tried some other people to see if they could watch them, but made some comments that came out as rather rude, though I don't think they were intended that way (She just doesn't think about things; this is the same SIL who brought her 5 month old baby on a sightseeing trip that used our house as a base, a month and a half after I miscarried. She never thought about the fact that it might be just a bit difficult for me to be around a baby at that point). Anyway, she was going to ask so-and-so, but she just wasn't sure how long it would be for, so she couldn't give them any definite times, etc, etc. Ok, so you feel bad about asking someone else because you don't know how long it'll be, but it's ok to ask me to do it? I realize I'm family and all, but come on, I do have a life, and just because I don't work outside the home doesn't mean I sit around, watching tv, eating bon-bons, and wondering 'gosh, when will I get to watch my SIL's kids again?'. I'm very blessed that I don't have to work right now, but I am still a busy person. And quite frankly, though I know I've said it before, I don't enjoy watching her kids, they're ornery little stinkers.

So, we'll have to see how quickly I can get DD's room done next week, working around all the babysitting. I know it'll slow me down, hopefully not too much though. At least I can bring my notebook and work on my book while I'm watching the kids. I've put my book on the back burner for the last week or two while I've been trying to get things done, so it'll be nice to work on it some more. I think what I've been doing subconsciously is trying to finish all my projects so I can just work on my book. Unfortunately, there will always be projects to work on, so that's not a good plan. While I was driving home tonight I was thinking about it, and decided that once I get DD's room finished (I'm working on it as much as I possibly can during the afternoons, which means DD has to play inside rather than outside), we'll start playing outside again, and I can bring my notebook and work on my book while she plays.

Sheetrock

Yesterday we went for a four mile run/walk, then I worked on DD's room. Didn't get as much sheetrock up as I wanted, but I did get the framing done that I needed to do, and had been putting off.

DD was quite cute, trying to 'help' me screw drywall in and build the framework. She understands that it will be her room and her bed will soon be in there, and she's excited about it.

Today was a blah day, I had a headache all day and didn't get much of anything done. I wanted to get the rest of the sheetrock up, but I guess that will have to wait till tomorrow.

Cavities and construction work

Blech... Yesterday afternoon I went to the dentist to get a couple cavities filled. I don't have anything against dentists, but I really, really hate the sound of the drill. Luckily for me, I thought ahead and brought my ipod and listened to music really loud. It didn't completely drown out the noise, but it did distract me a bit. Unfortunately, the local anesthetic they used made me a bit nauseous and icky feeling the rest of the day, which meant that I didn't get as much accomplished as I had wanted.

Yesterday morning I started working on DD's room. Hopefully I can get most of it done this week. We'll see how quickly I can actually work, especially when DD tries to 'help'. Today I worked on it some more, making good progress. Tomorrow I'll start putting up drywall. I can't do all the drywall because there's some wiring that has to be done, which can't be done till dad gets home from work. If I get everything in her room done that I possibly can, I can then start on some shelves in the closet, where her crib used to be (can I say how nice it is to have a closet big enough to fit a crib, a long dresser, and miscellaneous items? it's great!).

Tomorrow I have really got to do some exercising. While I need to taper off in preparation for the triathlon this weekend, I shouldn't stop working out period. I've been trying to get DD's room done as quickly as possible, to the exclusion of other things, like exercise and sewing. However, this, like many things in my life, needs to be balanced. I can take an hour to work out, then start working on DD's room. It's not that much time, and it makes me a happier, healthier person. I will hold off on the sewing till her room is done, though.

It's easier to skip out on a workout when I'm feeling gruntled (similar to disgruntled, but more of an all-encompassing feeling of blah), which didn't used to be the case. When I was in college, if I was feeling stressed or whatever, I'd go for a run, and feel so much better. Now, the thought of gathering everything up (stroller or bike and trailer, toys, snacks, water, DD, etc) when I'm already feeling off just doesn't get me motivated to get out there and sweat out my problems.

Weepy

I finished my first quilt top last night, and started the second this morning when it became apparent that DD was not going to let me sleep all morning. I did manage to doze for about an hour, but that's it. I took a nap when she did this afternoon, but only 30-40 minutes, and I am now ready for bed.

I've been feeling weepy the last few days. Not sure why exactly, but it could be any combination of several factors. I'm finally de-numbing and really starting to miss DH, I'm feeling betrayed by my body all over again (PCOS and it's accompanying problems), I'm realizing just how blessed we are to have DD, and realizing that even with meds we may not have any more (not with my luck- getting the timing right when DH is actually around? ha!). Hopefully I can have a good cry soon- it's been months since the last time I had a good cry, and I can tell that emotionally I need the release that comes from crying.

'Breaking Dawn' is awesome!

Ok, so I stayed up all night reading, and it was great! It took longer than I thought it would (just over 7 hours), but the book was longer than I was expecting, too. I'll re-read it in a few days, and take more time to take in all the details. Some things I was expecting, but there was a lot I wasn't, and it all turned out good. I'm already looking forward to reading it again!

A sad day

What a sad, sad day. Our daughter is no longer in her crib. She hasn't tried climbing out of it or anything, but I'm starting work on her room on Monday, and the crib is in the way. There won't be room for it in her room, so I'll be moving her into a toddler bed. I took apart her crib and carted it off to the storage unit. She was rather upset when I started taking her bed apart, but then as I put her toddler bed together, she realized that this was her new bed and was no longer upset.
In fact, she was very eager to put pillows on the bed, take her shoes off, and hop on.

I spent the morning working on my quilt, but got slowed down when it came to matching up the final edges. I'm not an exact seamstress, and that seems to be a bit of a problem when doing a pieced quilt. I'm making it work, but I have to do some seam-ripping to get to that point. I have one more edge to match up and then I'll be done. Pics tomorrow.

I swam laps for an hour (just over a mile) while DD was taking her nap, and then while in the locker room, shared some of the wisdom I've gained in my one triathlon with a lady who's doing her first in another month .

Tonight will be a long night. In a couple hours I will be heading to the local Wal-Mart and buying a copy of 'Breaking Dawn', which I will then proceed to read in its entirety (I'm thinking 4 or 5 hours). I pre-ordered a copy, but it won't get here till sometime in September, with the new Christopher Paolini book that comes out in September. Amazon and their silly rules to get free shipping. Anyway, I decided I couldn't wait that long, so am buying a copy tonight, then giving it to my brother for an early birthday present. He wanted to get it also, but has no money, so was quite willing to get it in this way.

Sewing and cleaning

Was supposed to go for a bike ride this morning, but just didn't feel quite right. Not sure if it's residual from yesterday (all the sun I got), the thought of being in the sun for any length of time (we're having a record-breaking heat wave here), or what.

I did have a productive day, though. This morning (when it was still shady and cool) I started the post-road trip, desperately needed cleaning of the car. Unfortunately, the vacuum cleaner had problems, so I had to stop and wait for dad to come home and fix it. By the time he got it fixed, it was a lot hotter and the shade was gone, but I was determined to finish the job, and I did! It looks and feels so much better now.

Ended up spending most of the day sewing, and made significant progress on the quilt top I'm working on. I should be able to finish it tomorrow and start on the next one. I'll do the batting and backing once they're all finished, since I have to dig out the fabric and batting from the storage unit. While I was sewing, DD decided to stand behind me on the balance ball chair and wrap her arms around my neck. And then bounce. Not very comfortable, but at least she wasn't on my lap. Oh wait, then she climbed all over me and made it to my lap, and tried to help me sew. Which was cute, but not terribly helpful, though once I showed her what to do and held her hand in place she did quite well.

Quilts, doctors, and reservoirs

Yesterday a friend took us to a local reservoir for a late birthday treat. We cycled around it (8 miles), then stuck our feet in the water. I spent more time working on my quilt top, then got distracted working on visiting teaching stats (I'm the coordinator in our ward), and ran out of time to post. I'm trying (not very successfully) to get to bed earlier so I can get more sleep and be better rested, especially since I have my second triathlon in a week and a half.

Today we went for a five mile run/walk, and I got a bit sunburned. It was also a lot hotter than I thought it was when we started out. Good practice for the triathlon, though since it'll probably be that hot or hotter come next weekend (Murphy's law and all that).

After lunch I went to a dr. appointment. I haven't been losing weight, despite all the exercise, so decided it might be a good idea to get everything checked out now, so I can hopefully lose as much as possible before DH's R&R in November. I went in, and we talked about my health history, and he was really interested in the PCOS I was diagnosed with 4 years ago. For some reason (probably blocking out bad memories) I had forgotten about it. After I got home I looked up some info on it, and found that miscarriages are quite common with PCOS. Hmmm. So is difficulty with weight loss and infertility problems. And here I was thinking I might have a thyroid problem. We're doing some blood work in a couple weeks, and I have a complete (and I do mean complete- they'll be checking everything) physical at the end of August. I was hoping for sooner, but at least I'm started on the process, and hopefully we can get some answers and get moving on treatment.

I've been working some more on my quilt top, and am making good progress. The unfortunate thing is that I think I have two more quilt tops to finish after this. I think I might have been a bit over-zealous when I started these two years ago.