Holy HANNA I SWAM A MILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

About two and a half weeks ago my cousin asked me to take her place in a team triathlon in Burley, Idaho....... so me thinking for only about a half second, like I usually do agreed......... I agreed to do the swim portion of the triathlon, which is almost a mile......... .97 of a mile to be exact.  The swim was scheduled for Saturday the 6th and I found out about this adventure the Saturday before.  A week to train to swim a mile.....ahhhh no biggie I can do it....... right?  Well that is what I thought until thursday night (June 4) about 10 p.m. when I decided that I better make sure I could do it .......  well not even a half mile later my head was spinning and I felt as though my dinner was about to make a reappearance!  I was scared *%$*less and had no idea why I had gotten myself into what I had.  I couldn't even finish half of what I was had said that I would.  The triathlon was going to to be in the Snake River so I knew that the current would help me a little, but how much?  Well to make a long story not quite as long, saturday morning rolled around and after having about 4 hours of sleep and an uneasy stomach for the last 24 hours I jumped into my wetsuit and headed to the swim start.  To my wonderful surprise (ok I kind of was expecting it) it turned out to be 48 degrees and raining!  At this point I felt like I was going to pass out.  I was the first leg of the race and I was going to disappoint the other girls horribly by not even finishing the swim.  They would have woken up at 5 a.m. and driven to Burley for no reason.  I think that I scared my cousin to death by telling her that I was worried I was going to die because I would get hypothermia and my muscles would cramp up and then I would drowned and no one would see me go under (thank you Joanna for all your support!) Anyhow she hesitantly dropped me off and drove away wondering if I would be seeing her again (not really but she was a little worried.)  They played the national anthem and said a prayer and then I was off into the 60 degree water in the 48 degree air at 7:30 a.m. with the rain pelting my face.  At first I couldn't even catch my breath because it was so cold, but once I got swimming I warmed up and the temperature wasn't even an issue.  I could see the end point almost the whole swim and I had to just keep telling my self out-loud "you can do it, you can do it" and I did!  I finished in 22 minutes.  There were parts where I could touch and at the end I was crawling on my hands and knees on the river bottom panting, again, telling myself that I could do it and finally I got to the dock!  It was such an adrenaline rush and I absolutely loved it!! I want to do it again!!! I don't know about doing the whole thing; biking for 25 miles and running for 6 right after that hellish swim doesn't seem too great to me, but the swim I did and I could do it again!! Anyone want to be on my team for next year?!?!?!  I need a runner and a biker!!  Well that is my latest accomplishment and I am darn proud of it!! It was so fun and once I finished I was so glad that I had done it even though I probably enhanced my production of gray hairs and wrinkles because of how stressed I was prior to the competition!  AUGHHHHGHGHGH it was wonderful!!!!!  I forgot how great it feels to push yourself until you feel like you are going to snap!

Pre swim picture.  I felt like I was going to pass out and my heart was beating a million times a second.  Why did I agree to this? (I know I am looking fine too, who doesn't feel beautiful in a swim cap?)

What, I still have to run?!  Augh I can't breath though, can someone carry me?

It has just sunk in!  I finished, I finished, holy hanna I finished!!! 

This is my post swim, sore and tired as all heck picture at the end of the day!

This one is for Jo

So I know that I only have maybe 3 followers, however, I feel that I need to make a post helping explain my last post........ well slash just make it not seem like I hate my life.  To me, my posts are these wonderful dedications to my husband and apparently I am making others feel as though I am unhappy, slash Joanna........ So let me explain, I know most blogs only post the most wonderful parts of life and as stupid as it may sound, sometimes I feel that everyone just wants to prove to everyone how good THEIR lives are, which is totally fine and wonderful and I know that is not the only intent, however, for me my blog is my journal and sometimes life is hard and I feel fine about posting that.....once again because it is my journal, so for all you 3 people, one, in-particular, life is great!  I love my husband more than anything!  He is an amazing person and I honestly feel so blessed that I somehow caught him!!  What I would do without him I hopefully will NEVER have to experience or know!!  No exciting news, no pregnancy to speak of and no wonderful music video produced to prove my love to Paul (however that might someday come :) ) and no exciting new job or anything like that.......... Life is pretty simple right now and we are loving it!

aLmOsT 8 months!!!!!

So no, I do not have any pictures to post as I have yet to download them to our new computer, so sorry stalkers nothing new to look at, (i am a stalker too, no disrespect meant!)  This I have decided is going to be my journal and seeing how I have never been fond of writing in a journal, maybe electronically documenting my life will be a little easier and a little more fun!  We have been married now about 8 months and things couldn't be better!  Would have I said that 2 days ago.............. or will I say that in 2 days................. who knows, but today is great!  We have our ups and downs and things sometimes downright suck but thats life, and you learn to deal with it, learn whatever it is the lord needs you to learn, and hope that you did a good job so you dont have to go through it again anytime soon!  Paul is an awesome guy and how he puts up with me I will never know, on the flip side how I put up with him sometimes will also be one of lifes many mysteries!  Ha ha!  I love that guy and honest to heck I would be so miserable and lonely without him!  He is always making me laugh, even when I am mad at him, which is sometimes irritating, but mostly great!!  We are continually learning and growing from each other and falling even more in love!  What will come next?  I have learned I will never know but I will keep my fingers crossed that whatever it is will keep us on our toes and make for an exciting time!

5 MoNtHs & CoUnTiNg

Time flies when you are having fun!  Well we have been married now for 5 months and it seems crazy that it has been that long already.  Marriage has its ups and downs and definitely takes work....... I was under the impression that you got married and the rest was a fairytale.......no work involved.......well I sure  had the wrong impression!! Everyone told me that was the case, that it takes work and patience and that is not always super easy, but for some reason I didn't believe them.  Well I can attest to its truth ladies and gentlemen.  It does take work and my patience has been pushed to its limit, but I have grown so much already, and even though sometimes things are hard, I never knew I could love someone so much.  It seems like everyday goes by and I LOVE Paul more and more, sounds cheesy I know but its true!  I honestly do not have a clue what I would do without him and wonder how in the heck I got so lucky.....and wonder as well as how the heck he got so lucky! :)