does a body good

Seriously, if there's one thing I'm looking forward to getting pregnant sometime in the future, it's the excuse to get a massage at least once a month. I have a dear friend Scott who is an absolute MIRACLE WORKER in the massage department. Here's his website. If you're in the DFW area or just planning to visit soon, you should schedule an appointment with him.

I rolled my ankle two weeks ago while working in the garden, which has put a big, sad, damper on my triathlon training. I scheduled a one-hour session with him this morning at 9am, and was greeted with this sign:

Definitely something I needed to take to heart today. When I was checking in with my therapist before the massage, I complained of my ankle and then said, "I don't know if this is relevant information, but I feel like I've been holding on to a whole lot of negativity lately." Instead of looking at me like I was cuckoo, he said, "That can certainly exacerbate the issue." 

See why I go to this guy?

Anyhow, throughout the session, I had to keep reminding myself to BREATHE and let everything GO and just enjoy the moment.

I walked out of there with an incredible lightness of being and sense of balance. I am a huge advocate of self-care, and tend to over-tell people to check in with themselves and treat themselves, even if it's just figuring out where your happy place is and trying to focus on that place for just a solid minute every so often throughout the day, maybe even say a prayer of gratitude or asking for help, without taking the time to do such things myself.
I'm going to try this next week, though, to do just that. I'm going to be off on Saturday morning for a week of summer grief camp and I know that self-care for me will be of utmost importance. I see it as a vessel of water - the more I pour out, the more that I have to be sure to fill myself up with, whether it be crochet or photography, playing music or working in the garden.

You don't have to be a therapist to need this stuff in your day though - like I said, that solid one minute of checking in with yourself can totally change your day. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. I'll do it too.

It Ain't Good

Last weekend I hung out with some friends in New Braunfels, tubing and just generally relaxing. I was pleased to find out that there was a Bob Schneider show going on at Whitewater, and I was thrilled at the prospect of spending a lovely Texas evening under the stars with good music.

The venue did not disappoint - the stage's backdrop is the Guadalupe river, the grounds are beautifully landscaped with native Texas plants, and we were quite literally tucked in between some hills. Another plus to the place was that their food was reasonably priced. I got two tasty vegetarian (rice, black beans, veggies, pico) tacos for $5, and the drink prices were pretty much standard for a music venue. 

Since I turned 25 I realized that I've seen more Bob shows in the form of his solo act or with The SCABS than I have of any other musician. The SCABS were my first Austin show - it was my 15th birthday (we lied and said I was 16 just so I could get in to the venue), I know all his songs, even worked for his PA for a little bit once upon a time when I wanted to be a music business maven, yet I can't say that I'm a big fan of his. There really used to be nothing like a live SCABS or Bob Schneider show. I remember when they would all dress up in marching band uniforms or their sharp black suits, and miscellaneous undergarments would get thrown on the stage, and every show was new, exciting, different. About 5 or so years ago, the shows became canned - everything the same, every time, with the variety being only in "It Ain't Good" (where members of the band can improvise) or his encore song (and even then only sometimes).

I appreciate his music and the lyrics and the scathing cleverness behind a lot of what he does, but this show...I don't know. Maybe because I was exhausted from a big day of being on the river, but I think lackluster is a good word to describe it. I found myself wishing that the last Bob show I went to at Lakeway last summer was the last show of his I'd ever seen, because it was amazing, lighthearted, and a heck of a party (plus, free!). Candace even said that she felt like everyone else was in on something that we were totally missing. There were so many things about the show that turned us off (from the T-shirts, the whole FAYM concept, and the first four really low-energy songs) I described it to her as a whole new generation of college kids who thinks the sun shines out of his behind, and we just happen to know better, or have grown up. We now know way too much about him and how he treats people to like him as a person, but still have to admit that his songs are quality. He is indeed a talented songwriter, and from what I hear, an inspiration to many in the singer/songwriter world. If you listen to Bob's ramblings on his website, you can tell - something is different. Things just ain't what they used be.

At any rate, after 11 years of enjoying his music live, though I will probably still use his songs in my lyric analysis for music therapy, I don't need to see him live ever again.

#sigh

today, the morning I get rid of my ACL 3 day pass, of which all are sold out, I found out that the company trip has been...

...wait for it.

r

e

s

c

h

e

d

l

e

d

*update: I had a long chat with my cousin last night, he helped put things into perspective. I'm disappointed that everything worked out like this, but it's just a music festival, and I trust God has his reasons. It was just a kick in the ribs after a really awful day. BUT, today is already better :)

oops, Monday? again?

So, in lieu of a made-up interview or one whereas I interview myself (and have time to make up startlingly witty answers), I've decided to take a gamble - how 'bout you guys ask me questions, and I'll answer them.  Feel free to ask more than one.

Ready go.

From Daina: What is your favorite instrument?

This is a really tough call. I love learning how to play new instruments and am blessed that I have a good ear and learn really quickly on any instrument.  I always say that piano is my first love in that I started playing when I was about 3, and therefore the range of expression on it is just mind-blowing. In fact, it's probably where my ear training and talent is based. The piano is at the center of why I decided to become a music therapist - I leaned on my piano (sometimes quite literally) when I was going through my mom's illness or my parents' divorce, all those things. My mom even said when I moved off to college she was most going to miss my 3am "recitals." I just love playing whatever instruments I can get my hands on. The trick is picking them up on a regular basis to get fluent with each.

From Daina: What is your favorite thing about music therapy?
This is really, really kind of tough for me to answer, but the first thought that came to mind is that music therapists work with all populations from mothers who are giving birth to hospice patients who wish to have the aid of music as they take their leave from life, and everything in between.

There's job security, especially when you work with the mental health populations.

Last week I was reminded of another favorite thing about music therapy - that the inherent things about music: the rhythm, the fun, its improvisational quality, are all things that change the lives of people every day. Where once there was an old lady sitting, screaming obscenities at someone, she is now playing drums, singing, reminiscing, dancing. Where once there was a child scared of everyone who came into their hospital room is now someone smiling, playing drums, creating songs.

I guess overall I'm just thankful that I get to use my favorite thing in the world to change peoples' lives, and that in turn changes and blesses me.

Yum, Drugs.

I've always been a proponent of remedying what ails my body in the most natural way possible. It was, after all, local honey that saved my poor bronchials from defeat several times while growing up in South Texas aka The Cedar Capital of the World (turns out I'm allergic to all things Juniper, something I learned during my senior Biology of Plants class in college). I even snuggle up close with my Neti-Pot when the weather turns to wheezing and general feelings of death-by-mucus.

However, I recently did some investigative work into my bloodwork history and discovered that my thyroid stimulating hormone levels have been teetering on the edge of screwy. "AHA!" I thought. I knew all the symptoms 'cos all the ladies in my family are plagued with various twists of thyroid tumult, including cancer and a fun little thing called Hashimoto's. In fact, at a bridal shower, I distinctly recall not only that the cake was super tasty but that every woman in my family sat around the table discussing what dosage of Synthroid they were on.  Kinda spooky.

So, I finally hauled my hair-falling-out, family-history-of-thyroid-issues, mildly depressed, foggy-brained, sleepy-from-the-time-I-wake-up-'til-I'm-asleep-again, can't-lose-weight-even-though-training/racing-triathlons-and-eating-really-healthy, to the doc, armed with bloodwork results and I'm glad to report that I've been on Synthroid for four days. You can say what you want about placebo effect, but oooh I feel the stormcloud lifting from my head. It started small, tiny rays of sunshine peeking through. It's almost overwhelming, the amount of energy I have throughout the day. I found myself wondering if they'd prescribed some kind of street-drug upper for me. Nope, just getting ye 'ole thyroid tweaked. I had even lost 5lbs as of this morning, and that's with some beers with dinner, ice cream from Sonic, and not working out as I twisted my ankle working in the garden last weekend.

Added bonus: the pills for the next two weeks are not only chewable but kinda citrusy. Nom.

Whew. I feel like I'm back, after who knows how long of not being so. Eesh. Good to be back.

Sweaty & Dirty in the Garden

I know, I know, it was 100+F this past weekend. However, the hubs had plans other than sitting around eating ice cream in the air conditioning. We quite literally worked outside all day, both days. Since resolving to get chickens, we've started a list of things we need to do, including getting a coop built, but also remedying the issue of the shady part of the garden where nothing ever grows. Here's what we did, in pictures: 

K is far more of a morning person than I am and when I woke up on Saturday morning, he'd gotten most of the trench for the brick wall dug out. I'm glad in our relationship we've got a good balance of detail oriented and, um, the complete opposite, especially during this project. I learned a lot about building garden walls, including the importance of paver base, and how incomplete our lives were without an 8x8 tamper. No end of jokes there, my favorite being Kyle's while resuming work: "You ready to get your tamp - on?"

We've got the brick part done (I'll take some more pictures tomorrow), and I've bought a tiller to break up the beautiful, sticky clay that plagues Richardson.

Next step: Soil amending!

Josh Rosenthal Interview

I recently had the super cool opportunity to interview a musician named Josh Rosenthal. He's the husband of my friend Becky,  who I met on a Campus Crusade summer project in Spain. If y'all know anything about me, you know that I'm a die-hard for live music and supporting up-and-coming musicians, so when Becky approached me about doing the interview I was so excited! She sent me three of his CDs and they spent a week in my car on repeat. What I found was a refreshing depth of character that made me think and some really good guitar playing. You can get his music on iTunes, and from his website. In fact, before reading the interview, you should go dip your toes in at his MySpace page.

So here you go, the very first Monday's Mellifluous Music interview:

What in the world made you want to become a musician in the first place?

I either wanted to be a doctor, pastor or musician.  Oddly enough I found the things I desired in medicine and ministry to come together as one in music.  I can write songs and use them as instruments of healing in the lives of the people I love.

I met Becky on a Campus Crusade trip to Spain when we were in college and next thing I heard, she was marrying you! I enjoyed the songs on your CDs that were obviously about your relationship because they were honest. What’s y’alls story?

We dated for three months before getting engaged.  But we knew of each other for years.  We went to junior high and high school together but never noticed.  She was the hot popular girl who drove a Jeep Wrangler and I was the punk kid who drove 1984 Mercury.  We didn’t really run in the same circles.  Once we were both home for the holidays.  It was love at 3,872^nd sight.  We don’t notice each other until exactly the right time and we got married within the year.

You’re right.  A lot of my songs start from Becky and me.  We’ve got a great marriage, but we work hard at it.  We want to use our mistakes to teach other people what to avoid if at all possible.

A family member once described his songwriting process as “someone turning a radio on in his head.” How does your songwriting process go?

It’s funny; it really has little to do with music.  My greatest inspiration comes from, but isn’t limited to, things like Grey’s Anatomy.  Its writers are geniuses.  Their story lines are so specific yet so universal.  That’s what I want to do with my songs.  If a circumstance in life strikes me and makes me feel a strong emotion, I try to capture it in a song.  If music didn’t move me the way it does, I’d be content in any profession that provides people cathartic outlets for healing.

On a scale of 1-100, how much do you like playing live shows? What’s your favorite and least favorite part?

100.  Some guys I know love the studio and play shows out of necessity.  I’m the opposite.  I’m intrigued by moments.  So far I’ve only been able to capture so much in the studio.  But at a concert you can create a moment with a song that moves people.  There is something special about a live show that allows for emotional moments. 

My least favorite part?  Setting up gear and tearing it down.

How do you think your style has evolved since you started recording? What have been your biggest influences in this?

One listen to each album shows a pretty major evolution in the sound. But, more than anything, my style has changed because I know what I want to say. Every artist has to have a message. Early on, for me, it was “hey, listen to me.” Now it has more to do with truly singing meaningful things to people. I try to tap into those universal pains and bring hope to them.

Where do you want to be personally and professionally in the next 5 years?

I hope to have strong followings outside the Rocky Mountain region. I’d like to double the amount of albums I sell every year. If a label opportunity comes along, I’ll explore it, but it will not be a barometer of my success.

Because I’m also from a small town and can totally relate to “Gotta Get Out” I was wondering, how do you think coming from a small town has shaped your worldview?

Great question. Yes, I give Lubbock a hard time in the same manner I give Ben Robie a hard time. Jokes at his expense are entertaining but ultimately I love the guy. I owe my ability to hold meaningful conversations to my Lubbock upbringing. I used to joke that people from larger towns have more to entertain them.  In Lubbock, all we had was conversations. We sit in a room and talk for hours on end. That would be our evening activity. To answer your question, it shaped my worldview by helping value conversations with people.

Why Utah?

Google it and look at the pictures.

On the back of Renaissance, there’s a peek of a tattoo on the inside of your right arm. What is it and what does it signify?

It says “ALIVE”. My friend Asher and I got tattoos together in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The whole time I got mine, he was singing Pearl Jam’s song by the same name. A lot of people survive or barely get by, but how many people are truly alive? I want to be fully alive.

How would you classify your music genre-wise and how do you set yourself apart from other “boys-and-their-guitars”?

I’m Americana/Folk. Those who subscribe to he “boys and their guitars” image don’t have long careers. They may get popular, but they burn out quickly. The longest lasting careers are usually tied to the meaningful message of the artist. Any popular song in my genre has lyrics that resonate with people. I like to think the marriage of my message and my live show set me apart from the average singer/songwriter.

What was your inspiration for “Bless the Fire”?

I complain a lot when life is difficult. Once the difficulty passes and I’m stronger for it, I speak highly of life’s challenges. Bless the Fire was my attempt at loving a really challenging situation while in the middle of it. It’s easy to look back and say hard times are good. But it’s another to say they’re good if you’re living through the death of a loved one or something equally as tragic. I want to joyfully accept what life gives me when it gives it to me.

I think you’ve got a lot going for you in the talented and inspired department and am excited for whatever you’re going to put out next. What do you have coming up next for you musically?

Thanks. I’m releasing four new albums this year – August 18, September 15, October 13 and November 27. I’ll be doing a lot of traveling in the fall to support their releases.

Jakers

This is what happens the day after you take your dog for a run in the morning, to daycare all day, and let him play with his girlfriend (the Hower's dog, Nutmeg) all night:

Speaking of pets, I know we've been talking a lot about getting a second dog, but...um...we really want chickens. K has found a really cute design for a chicken coop, and with the plans we have to start in on some sweet flowerbeds in the back yard and the recent research I've done regarding the awesomely nitrogenous-ness of chicken poo and how good it is for plants, well...we're getting chickens first.

Luckily, our local nursery is quite progressive and is not only hosting chicken how-tos AND a local farmer who raises chickens for just such purposes, so we're kind of excited. The next month we'll be putting in some new flower beds and constructing the coop, the earliest we'd be getting chickens will be around August 9th (coincidentally the same time they'll be showing "Mad City Chickens" at NHG).

We've decided to start with 3 chickens that lay brown eggs and then once we get the hang of things, we'll add an Americana/Auracana chicken. Why? Well, because this kind of chicken lays green and blue eggs, of course!

Dang...

So, I definitely got 3-day ACL tickets a few months back, and have been looking forward to it ever since. Last night, I found out that my hubs' company trip in Dallas (staying at a swank hotel) is going to be that exact same weekend. At first blanch I have no clue what to do. Ideas, anyone? What would you do?

How does my garden grow? Haphazardly.

One of the good memories I have of my dad from growing up was our annual attempts at tomato and cucumber farming. If I couldn't grow anything else, I knew I could grow tomatoes. In fact, one recent father's day, I gave him a huge palette of tomatoes I had grown from seed on the back porch of our (former) apartment, because I had started them from seed, not thinking all the seeds would take, and ending up with like, 50 little seedlings.

This year, I decided to veer from the cherry tomato variety and try my hand at some big momma beefsteaks. Of course, I get them planted and then 3 weeks later my sweet elderly neighbor who's been here forever informed me that they wouldn't fruit 'cos it gets too hot here.

I held up hope for months though, marveling at how quickly they grew from 1' to 5' in a matter of weeks, carefully perusing the internet for tips on pruning and staking, dutifully fertilizing with Garrett Juice.

A couple weeks ago, we witnessed the (ahem) fruits of our labors, so to speak...Sadly, though, the neighbor was correct. Although there are loads of blooms on my plants, they are dropping off like crazy. 

Luckily, a local gal from North Haven Gardensblogs and just this morning guided me on what to do next...looks like the tomato plant on the right is headed for the compost pile. You can't really tell from the photo, but there are pepper plants in there that are probably aching for some face time with the sun. The plant with fruit on it we're going to keep until the four tomatoes we have ripen.

This year has been a really big education for me in gardening. I told K at the beginning that I wanted to take a "more haphazard" approach to my garden, to which he replied, "MORE haphazard? How is that even possible?" I have to say that it's been a really magical way to garden...I was pleasantly surprised when even though I planted my pretty little violas and they immediately fried in the sun, they reappeared several weeks later about 1-2 feet from where they had originally been planted. Then yesterday, upon returning home from a wedding in Houston, I saw this pretty little surprise tucked up in next to my germander! I don't know what it is or how it got there, but it's little things like that (and the two frogs who have taken up residence in various pots and plants) that keep me gardening and realize the importance of going with nature's flow.

mobile update!

I am blogging from my hubs's phone so this won't be too lengthy as posting is kinda arduous with just using one's thumbs. I had an interesting week - it ended in a score of Autistic Kids: 3, Christina: 0. I don't know what it is but every time I go to assess an autistic chikd, there is usually screaming involved. I know I still have much to learn about this population, but it gets discouraging real quick. In other news. Kids with CP and DS love me.

ugh.

"Ours is a Family Run by Women"

The title quote came from my cousin recently while we were in San Antonio celebrating my grandmother's 88th birthday (or, grandmapalooza, as it was officially christened). It is QUITE rare that we all get together, even for Thanksgiving or Christmas, because I have one fabulous sister who lives in LA (who if you've not met by now, you need to) and a cousin who is generally galavanting around the world.

Even more rare are moments when the women in our family get together to laugh and tell stories. I was struck one morning when we gathered in my grandmother's enclosed patio: the glorious matriarch and all her ladies - my mother, my step-aunt, my sisters, my niece, and me. We truly are a family of mostly women...my grandfather passed away nearly 10 years ago, leaving my uncle, my step-uncle, my brother and my cousin. But oh, what a lush, eclectic, glamorous bunch of women I have as role models!

It's funny, then, that I am also doing Beth Moore's "Esther" Bible study and the very first week was all about the fact that "it's tough being a woman in another woman's shadow." This of course made me think about all the wonderful women in my life who have influenced me in one way or another. I know that I am now myself emerging from the shadows of influence - not that they were necessarily oppressive in any way, but as the youngest for a very, very long time, one can find herself struggling to find her own independence in a family of influential women.

So anyway, I've been thinking about this a lot over the last few weeks as I have slowly started realizing my own strengths and deep passions, that have all been crafted over the course of my life and led me to who I am. This has all been a product of finishing graduate school and suddenly hitting the wall of WHAT'S NEXT!? and being generally floundery in any sort of decision forward. But this morning, the last line of week 1's study was this: "it's tough being a woman in another's shadow, but sometimes, there in the hiddenness, God builds a woman she'd never otherwise become."

Huh.

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

Okay, so we have been married 3 years but have pretty much been together(ish, depending on how you calculate time spent together, then apart, then together ;) for 8. Right? Let's see. We went to a movie in Spring '02, spent the summer Emailing madly, and went on our first date that fall. Shakespeare in Zilker Park. We'll just count that as the beginning. So then, about 7ish.

Every once in awhile I pull out this book that Kyle made for me one Christmas that has all the Emails we've ever sent to each other. What I like about it is that it's a true chronicle of the bumpy road we went down to find, then lose, then find each other again. See, 'cos when I met Kyle I thought he was cute and all, and then we started dating and he downright scared me. I didn't have to prove anything, do anything, be anything other than myself and he loved me. Even a couple times when I ran helter-skelter and put up all these roadblocks to my heart, he was right there. Loving me. Unconditionally.

It was a long time before I could come to terms with that, and actually like the fact that I had truly found the most steadfast, faithful, Godly, hilarious, and way into me guy in the whole world.

Here, let me get you a barf bag.

I seriously am blown out of the water by the brains, the creativity, and the love my husband shows every day. And he's SUPER HOT to boot, so...yeah. Lucky me :)

And then four years later...

Reading Nook

I sent my husband's frustration with my flights of fancy quite nearly into the upper limits yesterday when he came home and saw that I had been, um, playing in the dirt all day. By the way, if you're stopping in from the germinatrix, welcome! Stay awhile!

What you're seeing is the beginnings of what I like to refer to as the "reading nook." On the East side of our house we have a long stretch of shady nothingness where pretty much nothing grows and nothing gets done except Jake running the fence and the composting. So, naturally, I want to overhaul it. This past weekend while spending quality face-to-face time with my sweet sister I pitched the idea to her and we came up with ideas and she threw all kinds of plant names at me to find and plant.

The basic idea is this: I want to have a space where someone can go to sit, relax, have a glass of tea, and read or listen to music. I'm a therapist, and I want a happy place. I have this idea in my head that I really really want to come to fruition, so yesterday I pulled out the gardening tools and went to town. There's a LOT of dirt to be moved, people. I'm planning to paint the fence a funky shade, probably a soothing blue-ish green or maybe even a lively reddish orange. It's going to be covered over in passion flower vines. There will be a long walkway that will open up into the nook, which will have a deck and be a little reminiscent of Casa De Luz in Austin.

I'll post pictures as I slog through this mess - there's a bunch of bamboo and did I mention a MOUNTAIN of dirt that needs to be moved around, but I'm really excited. The idea is to have the side of the house double as reading nook and built-in entertaining. So far I need to focus right now on the end of the path, but the rest will have a graded wall with all kinds of fun grasses, flowers, and low-growing groundcover like moss rose and moneywort.

So yeah, if you want to get a little sweaty and a little dirty, I need help in my garden! ;)

First Tri of the Season

I think Summer will be my favorite time of year forever, especially now that I've been bitten by the tri bug and there are tons of races each month! I have committed to two more: the Wurst Tri Ever in August, and the big mama Austin Tri in September.

This past Sunday was my sophomore experience at the Danskin Women's Triathlon and it was SUCH a different experience from the first. I was really annoying and kept saying "last year...." and comparing the races. First of all, we got there JUST as the transition area was closing, then had maybe 30 minutes 'til our respective waves took off and even then quite nearly missed them. This year I committed to partaking in some Clif Gu shots, which I have to say weren't all that bad. I had one before the swim and one during the bike, then I couldn't find my third between the bike and the run until AFTER the race. Burn on me.

The swim was SO difficult this time. I don't remember it being so hard to catch my breath - I expected the adrenaline rush at the beginning but even halfway through the swim I struggled to catch a deep breath. As much as I love swimming, I really didn't feel good about this swim. I felt different about a lot of parts of the race - like when I ran all the way (uphill, mind you) from the swim to the bike transition. That was when I was like "hey! I'm stronger!" and I thanked myself for those months of training even when I didn't want to. The bike - oh my. I only remember there being two really wicked hills on the course. My memory is completely jacked,  because the course is like a rollercoaster! The good news though was last year I walked two hills, but this time I walked NO hills. I also have about 50 more gears on this bike than I did on my old bike, and blasted down the hills as well as up them. The bike-to-run transition was killer again. My legs are just absolute jelly when I get off the bike. I have a plan to work on that over the next couple months - adding leg strengthening exercises, do some 5Ks, work bricks more diligently. 

So, here's my time & transition breakdowns:

Overall Rank: 1241 of 1976

Class Rank: 159 of 218

Swim: 00:22:46

Swim Rank: 596

Transition 1: 5:01

Bike: 00:49:32

Bike Rank: 975

MPH: 14.5

Transition 2: 3:33

Run: 00:46:09

Run Rank: 1664

Pace: 00:14:53

Final: 02:07:03

I'm surprised I did that well on the swim considering all the breathing problems I had. The breakdown clearly shows the areas I have to work on - the first transition, the bike, but especially the run. My goal for August is to shave some time off the bike time, but especially the run. I know that everything depends on the biking course, and knowing NB it'll be nothing like Austin, but still. I'm just really glad that I came in close to 2 hours - I wanted to beat last year's time of 2:30hrs and I did! Go me.

Afterward, I didn't feel nearly as spent as the last time...I mean, I was exhausted, but I didn't sleep for hours and hours. Instead, I went to Home Slice and Hey, Cupcake! with my cousin, then napped for about an hour, then dug into some barbecue. Yesterday I was overall pretty tired and moving slowly due to a sharp pain in the outside of my right foot but today I woke up at about 7am and am slowly working out the residual kinks. I think getting a massage immediately after the race also aided in my recovery.

SPEAKING of recovery, I've decided to put triathlon tips on here, just little notes of what I've learned along the way.

TRIATHLON LESSON #1: If you have clips, practice clipping out. A lot. This leads us directly to...

TRI LESSON #2: If you go biking two days before your tri, don't clip out on your right and then try to make a left turn in gravel.

So yeah! One down, two to go in this glorious season of tri, tri-ing again. Next up in August will be my very first co-ed race, and I am excited not only for that but also because it's going to be in fabulous NB!

Bloom Bloom Pow

So, in the front yard it looks like we're growing aliens. Aliens and blackberries which by the way I am in a constant race with the birds to see who can get to the ripe ones first. Right now the score is Christina: 2, Birds: 4. 

I took a gamble on some gorgeous looking Dahlias because I had never planted bulbs before and really didn't quite know what to do with them but hey they were on sale at Home Depot and I LOVE Dahlias. They were one of the main flowers in my bridal bouquet, including Chocolate Callas and Ranunculus. I love lush, interesting flowers, and am now starting to get excited about putting them into my garden and learning about what makes them grow.

The first photos are of flowers that have yet to bloom, and OH! the anticipation waiting for them to bloom!

And it is so worth the wait! Don't delay, get Dahlias in your yard next year!

Good Thing We're Training A Smart Dog

So, a few weeks ago I mentioned that we wouldn't be getting a puppy yet because we had to figure things out with Jake first. Well, after a couple visits to the Dallas Dog Trainer, Jake is doing GREAT! He's a very, very smart dog, and picks things up ridiculously fast. Especially if there's hot dogs involved. Apparently we had our roles of the pack all screwed up and have been working on who's in charge of who in the house. His behavior has improved dramatically. Anyone who needs help with their dogs, I suggest you go to the Dallas Dog Trainer because we learned a LOT about dog behavior that has changed the way we interact with Jake.

We've been working every day on heeling and walking and we've gotten to the point where I can drop his leash and sprint off ahead of him and he'll not only catch and keep up with me, he slows down when I slow down. 

So, this video is probably evidence that when we have kids, I'll be all ZOMG! HE/SHE BLINKED! and then blog all about it but I have to tell you that when we started working on this, Jake just looked at the shut door like "wtf?" and in 2 minutes, figured it out without my help.

Untitled from christina stock on Vimeo.

Triathlon Season

Next week is the Danskin Women's Triathlon and as of 5 minutes ago I am officially signed up :) I am doing two tris, possibly three this year. There's a tri in NB that I can't NOT do, it's right in my backyard!

I still suck at running, but I can bike and swim forever. My goal for next week is to run the entire 5K - last year I ran/walked. I'm super pumped :)

I am a biking fool.

No offense at all to my old bike. It got me through my first Danskin Women's Tri last year and we didn't even come in last! But, she was heavy and the wheels were a funky size, so I had a hard time finding and keeping tires and tubes for it. 

So, when graduation and me getting a job rolled around I figured I would get a new bike! Nothing fancy or carbon or anything, just a good bike on which I could both race and go to the grocery store.

So, I hit the Bike Mart website and lo and behold I found my little biker soulmate. I was so excited that first day that I got Azzi (short for Azucar) that I rode her 15.5 miles. Yeah. definitely paid for it later. 

Anyway, it's been about 3 days and I've already put more than 20 miles on it - I biked to go swimming yesterday (don't get me started on how much it makes me miss Austin and NB in the summertime) and then today I biked some errands. I'm getting more confident on busier streets, although sometimes I still hit the sidewalk when I'm not feeling confident enough in the drivers around me. 

It makes me wish that there were more fresh local markets in my 'hood. And rivers. But there's not too much I can do about that second one.

Turns out I just needed a little oomph to get my groove back. I'm stoked about the possibilities of having this bike, of the lower gasoline bill/emissions and adding a new element to my year of health!