Happy Father's Day!

I have a riddle for you today...

Cooks and cleans, doesn't hesitate to change diapers or give baths.  

Gentle enough to sing a song at bedtime but tough enough to put you in time-out.  

Who am I???

JOHN!

That's right everyone....he does it all and he's all mine (and Sloane's).  John works hard all day long and doesn't even blink an eye when he comes home to a messy house, crying child and a stressed wife.  He can take it all in stride with a smile on his face.  Yes, it's kinda annoying at times (he is rarely in a "bad mood" because it's a "choice".  I wish I had that skill...). Sloane and I are so thankful to have him in our lives. 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my Dad (and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY today as well).  If he had a dollar every time I threw a softball in his face when I got frustrated he'd be RICH.  :)  But his patience and encouragement have provided support when I needed it the most- even if I didn't "want to hear it".  Thanks Dad!  Love you!  

When I asked John what he admired about his dad he replied without hesitation, "He leads by example."  and I agree.  The day before our wedding the whole wedding party arrive at the reception site to decorate so there would be less to do the following day.  Well, the idea was great but I forgot half of the decorations.  Typical bridezilla...  I threw a fit, cried and was convinced the day was ruined (dramatic, I know).  I'll never forget Ernie-calm, cool and collected as usual hugged me and reassured me that it's going to be fine.  He was right.   

Happy Father's Day to all the great dad's out there.  Thank you dads!   

 

John's Half Ironman

He did it!  John officially completed one of the most difficult endurance races around- the half ironman!  On Saturday at 7:36am John entered the (cold) water to begin the race.  Six and half hours later...he finished!

For those of you who aren't familiar with triathlons and/or ironman races the half ironman distance consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.  Yes, done one right after another. 

Even in cold water and chilly morning temps John got off to a great start with the swim.  The water temp was 66 degrees.  The typical YMCA pool? 84 degrees.  No.thank.you!  At just under 50 minutes he exited the water ripping off his wetsuit, goggles and cap as he ran into the transition area.  The bike leg was made up of two 23 mile loops with one 10 mile out and back at the end.  Despite a wrong turn (made by many other riders) that cost him a little time he came off the bike and into the run with a smile!  The run, as you can imagine, was a challenge but John pushed through the fatigue and pain to the finish.

**I think it's important to note that there were aprox. 260 individuals registered for this race and 30 of them did not finish.

Aside from a nice sunburn and a bum knee he's recovering well.  (Not that John would tell me if he wasn't!) While he says he's not interested in competing in this lengthy of a triathlon again I think he will.  Give him some time for the sunburn to fade, knee to recover and he'll be back for round two :) 

Thanks to everyone (grandmas, grandpas, friends, family...) who have supported John and our family while he completed his training.  It took a lot of discipline and dedication to complete this and I know many of you have helped watch Sloane, provided encouragement, etc to make this possible.

More pictures of John will be available shortly at http://minnefotamoments.com/cgi-bin/store/imageFolio.cgi (click on Liberty Triathlon 2011)