New Ink

Check out my new ink. It's the little IronGirl logo. Originally, I planned on getting this tattoo while I was in Vegas but the tattoo shop in our hotel wanted $250 for this little thing (when I said "no" the guy said "well, how about $150")
This little gal isn't just about my wonderful trip to Vegas and the tri, it's about all the triathlons I have competed in the last year and a half. I never thought I would be able to call myself a triathlete but with the help of my friends and family I really feel like I'm being the person I always wanted to be. The last 2 years of my life have been some of my happiest. I feel so comfortable in my own skin.

Mother's Day

I had a very nice Mother's Day. One of my favorite ways to spend time with the kids is swimming. So Sunday afternoon we went to the pool and D even came. (D hates swimming.)

The kids and D designed an apron for me. At left you see the picture, T drew the bird, S drew the butterfly, and the father and son is by D. With PhotoShop, D put the pictures together from my collection of pictures the kids have drawn for me over time. Of course you can make it bigger by clicking it.

Froot Loop

I did get a little knitting done last week, I was working at the bookfair every afternoon and there was a lot of down time there.
This little beauty is Froot Loop, the Knitty surprise. I love the stretchiness of the pattern and the easy to remember 4 row repeat. The pattern is clearly written with a chart and words. I give it 5 stars and recommend it to all my sock-crazed friends.

As a side note, the 8 page paper I was struggling through a couple of weeks ago received high marks from my teacher. I feel very proud.

A random post

I have been trying to post at least every other day but this week has been crazy with a capital C. Luckily for me next week will be much calmer. I have 3 finals to complete and then I am free for the summer.

Girl Scouting

On Saturday, we had our bridging ceremony for my Girl Scout troop they are moving from Brownies to Junior Scouts. We have been together for 4 years now. I have really enjoyed seeing the girls grow and mature and I think Girl Scouting has a positive impact on them.
You can't see me in the picture but I'm somewhere in the middle of that gaggle of girls - they are giving me a group hug.

Woodchuck

I'm really not much of a beer drinker, I prefer mixed drinks (gin and tonic, anyone?) But I'm hooked on Woodchuck Draft Cider Amber. It's like apple juice beer. Shelly introduced it to me and I owe her a big thank you.

Flair

I like office supplies -post-it notes, rubber bands, paper clips, hole punches, pens, etc. My newest favorite pens are Paper Mate Flairs. They come in packages of 5 different colors. My planner to getting a color makeover - they are great for doodling and color coding stuff. And they are called Flair, what a great name.

Be at Peace

The end of the school year is always a hard time for me, there is so much going on. But this year it's even worst because I have so much of my own school work. With a stats project, a 10 page paper for Cultural Anthropology, finals, teacher's luncheon (which I'm in charge of), Girl Scout bridging ceremony, and book fair all happens within 2 weeks I'm feeling overwhelmed.

At times like this, I think back to one of my favorite quotes:

" If your life is in harmony...then your life is full and good, but not overcrowded. If it is overcrowded, you are doing more than is right for you, more than is your job to do in the total scheme of things." - Peace Pilgrim

Camping

This weekend I was at Girl Scout camp for outdoor training. I set up my tent all by myself.

We had a full weekend- hiking, archery, fire starting, knot tying, cooking, tent pitching, singing, and knife safety.

I used a latrine for the first time in my life, wow, that was an experience.

The weather was rather chilly. Friday night I froze and Saturday night it rained. I also realized that my Girl Scouts are not ready to camp out at a campsite; we are going to start with backyard camping this year.

We learned a lot of different ways to cook outside. This is a "vagabond" stove made from a coffee can, tuna can, corrugated cardboard, and wax, it's great for make grilled cheese or hot dogs. We also used a box stove, dutch ovens, and pie irons.

See Mommy Run

At the tri in Vegas, I saw a couple of ladies wearing this logo so I thought I would check out the website to see what it's all about. Turns out it's like meetup for mom's who run or walk. There are only a few members in Kansas and no active groups in my area. But the website has a simple training log and notebook to record your goals. I recommend it.