You've heard of "Snakes on a Plane" right? Well how about "Sharks in a British Lake"?
Holly and I, in preparation for our attempt at a Sprint Triathlon on July 6th, decided it would be a good idea to try an open water swim just to get ready for the big day. We arrived at the lake, squeezed into our wet suits (mine is a MENS size M-L--so its less of a sqeeze than an attempt to zip the suit and pray that it doesnt fall off) and dipped our toes tenderly into the frigid water (at which point Holly yells out "Bleep-bleep the water is bleeping bleep).
I was pumped; our pool workout sessions have been going well (minus the frequent spotting of old men wearing speedos) and I thought that I was ready for the lake. Well, I was wrong. Holly took off and started swimming in her methodical, paced swim. I put my head in the water, stroked twice and immediately had an anxiety attack. You see, one of my biggest fears is being in murky water--and an even bigger fear (thanks to a babysitter letting me watch Jaws when I was 6) is being bitten by a shark or any other sea creature while in said murky water. Now, I tend to think that I am a fairly intelligent person and I generally understand the fact that you probably have a greater chance of spontaneously turning into the opposite sex versus getting bitten by a shark in a cold man-made British lake. That fact being known, I couldve sworn that I saw a "Jaw's" shaped creature swimming beneath me the entire time I had my head under the water.
Holly was a saint the entire swim...stopping frequently to make sure that I was wasnt waving my arms and requesting the kayakers to pick me up. I am adopting Holly's swimming mantra of "Don't panic, don't panic" while I swim from now on. By the end of our open water swim, I was able to keep my head under water more frequently without freaking out entirely. My goal for the triathlon is to swim free-style at least 75% of the time (I prefer to breast stroke so that I don't have to look down into the murky water). This is a lofty goal considering the fact that I will be 1) overcoming a HUGE phobia, 2) Completing my first competitive open water swim in my first triathlon and 3) checking the surface of the water for jaw's fin every 5 seconds.
July 6th should be interesting. In addition to the inherent risk of a shark attack, I may also be kicked in the face and splashed upon by my fellow competitors while trying to get over my shark/murky water phobia.
7 days and counting...
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Thursday, 26 June 2008
Sometimes I wonder...
Considering that it is June 26, 2008 and that my first and only blog (EVER) was in Sept 2007; I am wondering about my committment to this whole blog thing.
Here goes my attempt at a blog.
1. Sometimes I wonder why I like to clean so much. It used to be that I actually enjoyed the cleaning process (dusting, vacuuming, organizing etc.). The cleaning process has become monotonous, but the end result is still fantastic! A clean, clutterless house. Unlike my clutter-filled jumble life! Today I was cleaning and found 3 spiderwebs in random corners in my house. Sucking those webs up with my dyson made me a little happier than it should have...I think the joy of cleaning is returning to my life. (thanks for the OCD mom!).
2. Sometimes I wonder why I signed up for a triathlon. It seemed like an amazing idea considering the fact that its been a goal of mine for years. The training has actually been pretty fun, if not extremely painful (I am a glutton for pain and an endorphin junkie!). I talked Holly into doing the triathlon with me..now she has to talk me into still wanting to do it! We did a 16 1/2 mile bike ride today...and I feel like I have been hit by a semi-truck. The triathlon is July 6th...so the countdown has begun...I just hope that I am not the last person crossing the finish line!
3. Sometimes I wonder when I will be done with school. I thought I was done in 2006 when I got my MSPT. Now I find myself enrolled in the DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) program at SImmons College. I figure I will have a lot of time on my hands while Jonathan is away in the desert protecting the U.S.A. for a couple of months, and what better way to spend the time than to go back to school! Yikes. I hope I am up for the challenge...we'll see what happens.
Thats all I am wondering about right now...mostly because my life is jumbled in England and its hard to figure out what to focus on each day. You would think that not working full time would mean that I could be more focused on other aspects of my life--maybe organizing the 10+ years of pictures that need to be put in albums, keeping in touch with close and long-lost friends, or maybe even just figuring out what exactly I want to do when I grow up. But, NO; Holly (a friend I have here in the UK) and I have decided that instead of this organized, task-oriented/focused life that we should be leading we are instead entrapped in a "Jumble Life".
Speaking of jumble...Ive just jumbled myself into another LONG blog. I'm done, enough jumbling. Maybe I'll post another blog in December. Don't hold your breath waiting...
Here goes my attempt at a blog.
1. Sometimes I wonder why I like to clean so much. It used to be that I actually enjoyed the cleaning process (dusting, vacuuming, organizing etc.). The cleaning process has become monotonous, but the end result is still fantastic! A clean, clutterless house. Unlike my clutter-filled jumble life! Today I was cleaning and found 3 spiderwebs in random corners in my house. Sucking those webs up with my dyson made me a little happier than it should have...I think the joy of cleaning is returning to my life. (thanks for the OCD mom!).
2. Sometimes I wonder why I signed up for a triathlon. It seemed like an amazing idea considering the fact that its been a goal of mine for years. The training has actually been pretty fun, if not extremely painful (I am a glutton for pain and an endorphin junkie!). I talked Holly into doing the triathlon with me..now she has to talk me into still wanting to do it! We did a 16 1/2 mile bike ride today...and I feel like I have been hit by a semi-truck. The triathlon is July 6th...so the countdown has begun...I just hope that I am not the last person crossing the finish line!
3. Sometimes I wonder when I will be done with school. I thought I was done in 2006 when I got my MSPT. Now I find myself enrolled in the DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) program at SImmons College. I figure I will have a lot of time on my hands while Jonathan is away in the desert protecting the U.S.A. for a couple of months, and what better way to spend the time than to go back to school! Yikes. I hope I am up for the challenge...we'll see what happens.
Thats all I am wondering about right now...mostly because my life is jumbled in England and its hard to figure out what to focus on each day. You would think that not working full time would mean that I could be more focused on other aspects of my life--maybe organizing the 10+ years of pictures that need to be put in albums, keeping in touch with close and long-lost friends, or maybe even just figuring out what exactly I want to do when I grow up. But, NO; Holly (a friend I have here in the UK) and I have decided that instead of this organized, task-oriented/focused life that we should be leading we are instead entrapped in a "Jumble Life".
Speaking of jumble...Ive just jumbled myself into another LONG blog. I'm done, enough jumbling. Maybe I'll post another blog in December. Don't hold your breath waiting...
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
First Blog EVER!
Well, this is a milestone in my life for sure...my very first blog. I have to say, I was definitely anti-blog for a long time. I always wondered who in the world would want to read about MY life?? But it turns out that getting married and moving across the ocean from friends and family changes a lot of the perspectives that you previously held. That being said, I am going to try my best to blog as often as possible to keep all of our loved ones up to date with what Jonathan and I are up to. Here is a brief update of what Jonathan and I have been up to since we left the US:
May 27, 2007 was the beginning of a new life for both of us: Our Wedding Day. The day could not have been more perfect! We were among our families and our closest friends and were able to share one of the most important days of our lives with them. Now I am married to my best friend :)
Honeymoon in Costa Rica (CR): What a beautiful country!! Despite seeing my life flash before me multiple times while driving on the main "roads" (and I use the term "road " loosely as a "road" in Costa Rica consisted of packed mud or gravel at best and was about the width of one car) or while flying in a sight seeing prop plane from an airport no bigger than an outhouse. I don't understand how Jonathan has made a career in flying while I have made it one of my biggest fears!! We stayed in 2 incredible resorts: Tabacon was the first, nestled right under one of the active volcano's in CR--looking back on that, thank God that he didn't plan for an eruption while we were there!! :) Punta Islita was the second resort, located on a hill right on the pacific ocean. Jonathan and I had our own "casita"--this included our very own dipping pool, a back yard with beach chairs, and a very comfy hammock. We also had a couple of roommates..which was a little awkward considering we were on our honeymoon. The roommates were in the form of gecko's...and apparently the white sheets and pillows of our bed were the perfect toilet for the roommates that we had. I was a little freaked out, but Jonathan, as always, put me at ease and ALMOST talked me into appreciating the fact that they were in our room since it meant we were in nature. We had such a blast at Punta Islita and met some other really great couples who were also on their honeymoons. Unfortunately, I was not smart enough to reapply sun block the first day that we were on the beach and I got to walk around looking like a lobster for a couple of days. Oh well!! All in all, an amazing honeymoon with an amazing man.
Moving to England: Jonathan and I arrived in England in late June and since then have been settling in to life abroad. We had a stressful few weeks, but now we truly feel at home. We live in an old market town called Bury St Edmunds and we absolutely love it. We have been meeting lots of new people and are starting to make an awesome group of friends. We have traveled to Dublin, London and some other small towns in England so far. We can't wait to travel more!!
Jonathan has been doing a lot of painting at work this summer...so on the days that he does fly he comes home and tells me how much he loves his job. Jonathan has taken on the role of husband like a rock star--especially completing tasks on his ever growing "honey-do" list (which, by the way, he adds most of the tasks himself!).
I am not working yet--turns out the English require LOTS of paperwork and money in order to let an American physical therapist work in their country. I am diligently working on completing all of that paper work, and in the mean time will be volunteering through the Red Cross and working as a PT on base in the clinic. It has been a nice 5-6 month vacation of not working, but I am ready to shake the dust off of my thinking cap and put my education to a use again.
Well, for a first blog I guess that I had a lot to say!! I hope I didn't bore you to death :) More to follow later....
May 27, 2007 was the beginning of a new life for both of us: Our Wedding Day. The day could not have been more perfect! We were among our families and our closest friends and were able to share one of the most important days of our lives with them. Now I am married to my best friend :)
Honeymoon in Costa Rica (CR): What a beautiful country!! Despite seeing my life flash before me multiple times while driving on the main "roads" (and I use the term "road " loosely as a "road" in Costa Rica consisted of packed mud or gravel at best and was about the width of one car) or while flying in a sight seeing prop plane from an airport no bigger than an outhouse. I don't understand how Jonathan has made a career in flying while I have made it one of my biggest fears!! We stayed in 2 incredible resorts: Tabacon was the first, nestled right under one of the active volcano's in CR--looking back on that, thank God that he didn't plan for an eruption while we were there!! :) Punta Islita was the second resort, located on a hill right on the pacific ocean. Jonathan and I had our own "casita"--this included our very own dipping pool, a back yard with beach chairs, and a very comfy hammock. We also had a couple of roommates..which was a little awkward considering we were on our honeymoon. The roommates were in the form of gecko's...and apparently the white sheets and pillows of our bed were the perfect toilet for the roommates that we had. I was a little freaked out, but Jonathan, as always, put me at ease and ALMOST talked me into appreciating the fact that they were in our room since it meant we were in nature. We had such a blast at Punta Islita and met some other really great couples who were also on their honeymoons. Unfortunately, I was not smart enough to reapply sun block the first day that we were on the beach and I got to walk around looking like a lobster for a couple of days. Oh well!! All in all, an amazing honeymoon with an amazing man.
Moving to England: Jonathan and I arrived in England in late June and since then have been settling in to life abroad. We had a stressful few weeks, but now we truly feel at home. We live in an old market town called Bury St Edmunds and we absolutely love it. We have been meeting lots of new people and are starting to make an awesome group of friends. We have traveled to Dublin, London and some other small towns in England so far. We can't wait to travel more!!
Jonathan has been doing a lot of painting at work this summer...so on the days that he does fly he comes home and tells me how much he loves his job. Jonathan has taken on the role of husband like a rock star--especially completing tasks on his ever growing "honey-do" list (which, by the way, he adds most of the tasks himself!).
I am not working yet--turns out the English require LOTS of paperwork and money in order to let an American physical therapist work in their country. I am diligently working on completing all of that paper work, and in the mean time will be volunteering through the Red Cross and working as a PT on base in the clinic. It has been a nice 5-6 month vacation of not working, but I am ready to shake the dust off of my thinking cap and put my education to a use again.
Well, for a first blog I guess that I had a lot to say!! I hope I didn't bore you to death :) More to follow later....
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