Blue Thoughts

Posted on October 15, 2012 by GJD

“Blue Thoughts”

He wasn’t home to meet me tonight.
Never again.
I won’t be able to hold him tonight.
Never again.

Meltdown.
Can’t be helped.
Hurts so bad, but don’t want to not hurt.
Reminds me how much he mattered.

Part of my life.
Now gone.
Can’t sleep with ashes.
Who cares?

Tears run deep.

Can’t breathe.
Miss him.
Miss him.
Miss him.

Sweet, sweet boy of mine.

Blue Blue ~ 1998-2012
R.I.P.

A couple of days later I’m adding a PS:  Please read What Happens When Your Guy Might Not Be As Brilliant As You Thought if you’d like to know his quirky origins.  =^.^=

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What Really Happened At My First Olympic Triathlon?

Posted on July 16, 2012 by GJD

Yes, I can prove it.

I usually start every race hopeful I’ll be a contender–you know, beat someone.  Then, by the end of the race, I’m pretty happy to finish it.  Usually, I don’t beat many, if any, people.  In my age group or not.  I’ve been last so often, I know what goes on way back at the end.

My husband is telling everyone I got third place in my age group.  Which is true.  He’s very proud of me.  Also true.

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Holy Bat Guano!

Posted on June 13, 2012 by GJD

When I got a text while shopping at the Bead & Button show in Milwaukee from my husband, I expected something to the effect of… Do you really need to buy that?  Not:  The bat was rabid. 

While not our exact bat… you get the picture.

Of course, I dropped the strand of flat-backed navy pearls I’d intended to buy and rushed out into the corridor where I could hear above the din of possessed shoppers, one of whom probably snapped up my pearls.

Him:  Hello?

Me:  The bat was rabid?

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How To Gain 9.4 Pounds in 13 Days. Really.

Posted on April 30, 2012 by GJD

The starting point.

Let’s get right to it:

1.  Go on vacation to somewhere like… sunny, carefree Florida. 

2.  Pack only drawstring or elastic-waisted baggy shorts.  And flip-flops.                                            Loosen up–literally. 

You gotta be free.

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Cats Love the Company of Other Cats: Debunking the Myth

Posted on December 5, 2011 by GJD

Do they really look happy? Or just on alert?

 =^,^=

Okay, about cats… 

This morning I read a Facebook post by a friend who’s under pressure from her husband and two young sons to adopt another cat (kitten) when they already have one perfectly happy cat.  The responses to her post were overwhelmingly pro-adopt the second cat and roll with the punches.

It’s a lovely thought; that you can keep adding cats into your household and everything will work out. 

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When Your Husband Means Well…

Posted on October 25, 2011 by GJD

Who doesn't love roses?

A couple of disclaimers:

1.  Before the race a couple of day ago, my husband and I had never run together.

2.  I am not a natural athlete.  He is. 

When I started running about 6 months ago, he was there with our dog to witness my first half block.  That was it.  A half block and I went home—wheezing, sweating, but elated; I did it.

Another time, again with our dog, he walked up and down the adjacent boulevard at night to keep me company in the dark as I ran for 45 minutes.

He’s also been there to cheer on my three triathlon finishes.  (For more info, see Three Triathlons…)

But we’d never run together.

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Three Triathlons in Eighty-One Days. Now what?

Posted on October 19, 2011 by GJD

Imagine a windy day...

Water still dripped down my neck from the swim as the thermometer crawled toward forty.  Except for the burn in my thighs as I shifted into high gear, there was no evidence I was connected to my lower extremities. 

As I struggled uphill pedaling into a chilly October wind halfway through 14.5 miles, for the first time I wondered… Exactly why am I doing this? 

Road conditions:  Windy, uphill, cold. 

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The Second Time Around: Can It Ever Be as Good as the First?

Posted on September 27, 2011 by GJD

Yes, it says "First Place"!

Well, if you walk away with a trophy, maybe it can. 

Or not…

After my first triathlon, I was flying high from the excitement of the whole event.  If you read my summary “Can’t Wipe This Smile Off My Face…”, you know what I’m talking about.

When an experience is so great, you want to repeat it, right?  I signed up for my second triathlon, based on a couple of things.  I found one within driving distance, near family and friends, and it was only five weeks away; plenty of time to train and hopefully better my times.  I mean, what was I going to do to keep my workouts going if I had no goal? 

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Can’t Wipe This Smile Off My Face: Confessions of a First Time Triathlete!

Posted on July 18, 2011 by GJD

All done!

It started the night before the race.  The smile.  My husband noticed it as we walked the path to the pre-race swim clinic.  As 30-50 people gathered to hear what Ironman triathlete Bryan Rhodes had to say about open water swimming (my most apprehensive area), my husband gave me a slight nudge and whispered in my ear. 

“You haven’t stopped smiling since we got here.” 

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Just When I Was Feeling So Good (Translate Cocky) About The Triathlon…

Posted on July 12, 2011 by GJD

Here’s my top 11 random thoughts during a 25 mile bike ride in 90 degree weather today.

1.  Is the wind ever, ever at your back?  I mean ever?

2.  And will I ever be able to catch my breath?

3.  Why do I sweat another 30 minutes after I stop exercising?

4.  Should I wear underwear under my tri-suit?  It’s kind of like a swimsuit, so… (I’ve tried both ways and I don’t have a preference.)

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