Orcas Island

If you come to the great NW it is important that you make your way to the San Juan Islands. Lucky me, once a year I have the opportunity to go to Orcas Island, a place I would like to explore with a little more time. However, every year as a part of my job at the YMCA I get to go to Camp Orkila with our Adventure Guides group. It was a fun experience, as usual, but this year they have added a new chanllenge. It's the giant swing and it is fun, fun fun. Check out the pictures of me on the swing with Lydia, one of the kids in the program. The next time I'm going it alone.

Suiting up for the big ride and Lydia and I hanging out

That's My Timmy

I was looking at Calabash Yard today and realized that I hadn't uploaded a picture in a long time. This was one of my favorites from our weekend with the Moriarity kids. Tim took over the playground and as you can see by the smile on his face, he was a happy little boy. That's my Timmy.

Weekend Continued...

As I had said in my previous blog, Sunday was going to be our day to spend with the Moriarity Kids (Quin and Colin). The kids got to our house around 11am, we sent their parents on their way and then it was our turn to have some fun. Nick, Simon, Colin and Haylie had joined us for the majority of the day.

Our first stop was the Sea Aquarium. After 1-hour of kids faces lit up with smiles we were all hungry and so we headed to The Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch. We ended our evening with the kids at the BF Day school park followed by Gas Works where we met Colin and Quin's parents.

Our evening wasn't over. As Tim and I were driving home we were passing Green Lake Pitch and Putt and decided to play a round of golf on the 9-hole, 3-par course, it was a fun way to end our weekend.

Busy Weekend

Saturday morning I went on what was to be a 45-mile bike ride. Well, it turned out to be 52-miles, partially because there were a few turns we made that were wrong. Our ride took us from Marymoor park east on 202 to Fall City north on 203 through Carnation winding our way back to Marymoor via one bitch hill, it was the Snoqualmie Valley experience.

It was a good ride, I felt good and I worked hard to maintain my speed while keeping bikers ahead of me and behind me, mainly because I do not know that area very well. I knew getting lost was inevitable, I just didn't want to do it on my own. I will tell you that it was one of the most beautiful rides I have been on in Seattle. I rode by places I have been to before but I got to see places that I never even knew were in Seattle such as the Nestle Training Center. I wish I had my camera with me.

For the record, Tim went on a 14-mile ride from home.

Later that afternoon it began to rain, missing me on the bike - yeah. Phillip (Tim's nephew) visited us and took us to North Face to go shopping. He works for a store that owns NF and we got to get ourselves a few items at a 50% discount. We couldn't resist. Check out our new tent and backpack. Then we had dinner with our friends Kevin and Michelle.

Today, Sunday, we are taking the Moriarity kids for the day. It's thier Christmas gift. We'll let you know what we decided to do with them. The good news is the sun is shining.

Hump Day

The middle of the week. It can be the greatest feeling in the world OR it can feel as if the week is just dragging along. This Wednesday is a good one. I've just returned from a run that felt really good and I'm about to cook my husband and I some cod. Although cod is some of the cheapest fish you can buy, it is probably one of my favorites. I suspect that it is because cod or salt fish as we know it in Jamaica is a part of our national dish and I ate it a lot growing up.

Monday Tim and I went for a 2500m swim. Tuesday was an off day because we decided to go watch the Everett Silvertips play in the playoffs. Thursday will probably be a run/bike day. I'll let you know what we do on Friday. Saturday I'm going for a 45-mile bike ride. Sunday, well Sunday may just be another rest day...we'll see.

First Game Of The Season

It was a beautiful day in Seattle with temperatures in the 70's. Tim and I finally went to a Mariners Game yesterday and even though they lost it was a perfect day for baseball. When we got home we headed out on a 20-mile bike ride, with a pit stop at the Dey's house.

Training has been going well. Last week I did a run that I was not happy with but having bad days are expected. Tim and I will be doing a sprint triathlon on June 3rd, he's doing it to support his lovely wife and I'm doing it as a practice run before the real thing.

If you have made a contribution to Team in Training, thank you and I look forward to swimming, riding and running this race because of your support. If you haven't made a contribution...do it now!

Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a peaceful and safe Easter. Tim and I went to Olympia on Saturday evening and spent the night at his moms. Sunday we went to church and then headed down to Chehalas to have lunch with the rest of the family at Paul and Maries.

Thank you for the good food and fun time.

Out With The Old, In With The New

I'm in the process of renewing my Jamaican passport and I have to tell you it has been as painful as getting my teeth pulled. This process started about 4-weeks ago and I am still trying to make the Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, DC happy. Seattle does not have very many Jamaicans living here so we have one consulate that is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays ONLY and she's in Kent. Mercy!

Hmm, I wonder if I could become a Jamaican Consul?

Confused

That's what I am. I kept getting my training weeks mixed up. Finally, I think I have figured it out. I am currently in my 11th week of training. My 9th and 10th weeks were consistent and this week I must say that I have stepped it up a notch. Well that's what my butt, back and legs are telling me.

Sunday I did a 1600m swim. Monday was 1-hour running hills. Tuesday I went for a 3-mile run and I played a serious game of floor hockey. Wednesday I will be swimming, Thursday I plan on doing a 17-mile bike ride. Friday I plan on doing a 4-6 mile run and Saturday we have our second multi-brick (run/bike).

Go Team!

How About A Good Cry

On Friday April 7th Tim and I had a wonderful opportunity to tour the Oncology Unit at Children's Hospital. We were taught and reminded of how a child with Leukemia lives day to day. Not to mention their parents and siblings. Rosanne Feder, our tour guide, showed great passion in the work she does with the kids on the unit and it made us have an appreciation for the work that hospital staff and volunteers do everyday. I left realizing that I have a sweet life, I'm healthy and I'm free to be who I want to be and go where I want to go. Become a blood or bone marrow donor today or support Team in Training. These are just the easy ways to help make a difference!


The weekend continued with a few more tears when we went to Tim's brother in laws retirement from the Washington State Patrol. Craig has served 37 years in Washington State and it was Saturday night that showed me a little bit more about the man himself and the work he did on a daily basis. Craig is not a man that likes to have the attention placed on him. However, as we listened to the speakers we learnt how much he is respected, loved and will be missed. They ended the evening with a salute to the longest standing trooper to serve in this state. Congratulations Craig and Good Luck!

Week 9 of 21

I'm not even half way there, I have to admit that I have a far way to go. My runs are still feeling a little sluggish, my bike rides could certainly use a little more power and my swimming, well I just need to get into the pool more than once a week. Even though I am feeling this way, I promise all of you that have made a contribution to this wonderful cause that I will be completing this triathlon.

Today we had three 1-mile repeats, tomorrow I will run about 3 miles, Wednesday I will be doing an hour of boot camp and then swimming for an hour. Thursday I plan on doing a 17-mile bike ride, Friday I will do a 4-6 mile run, Saturday we are doing a 1-hour trail run and Sunday I plan on resting. I will let you know what really happens and how it really turns out.

Thanks for all of your support.

Time Together

Tim and I had a very full yet relaxing weekend. On Friday evening we headed down to Olympia to spend the night at his moms place. Saturday morning Tim went to do the MS Walk with Dan and Paul while Donna and I headed to Erin's wedding shower. By 2:30pm we were heading back to Seattle.

Sunday morning came around and Tim had a hard time getting out of bed. Well, he got out and then went back. By 4:30pm I convinced him to come out with me for a walk at Golden Gardens. We had a lovely evening walking on the beach, having dinner at Madame K's and attempting to get in for a round of bowling. That didn't happen due to a league being played and all of the lanes being used.

All in all it was a wonderful time together.

Go, Go, Go

Saturday morning I had my usual Team in Training workout. This week it was an out and back 35 mile bike ride from Marymoor to Matthews Beach. It felt great! I think I'm finally feeling good on the bike. I'm getting use to using my gears the correct way, I'm feeling much more efficient on the bike.

At the end of practice I rushed home, took a shower and at 1:00pm I kissed Tim goodbye (He worked deligently in the garden all day Saturday). I had to make the 1:30pm ferry to Kingston. I was heading over to Fort Worden which is in Port Townsend. I was meeting up with our Adventure Guides group (work stuff). The best part is that I made it back to Seattle by about 6:30pm, that's right it was a quick trip.

On Sunday morning I felt that my house needed a little attention so I cleaned it. I love a clean house! My reward was brunch at one of our favorite spots- Wild Mountain. We hadn't been there in a while so we spent most of the time catching up with friends, we know the owner and the ladies that work there.

It's Been A Long Week

Monday was a beautiful day in Seattle. It was the first day of spring. I went to Green Lake and did my timed 2 mile run, this is my second time doing it. The good news is that after two weeks of vacation my time was 2 seconds faster. I would've liked to have been at least 30 seconds faster but at least I am consistent.

The rest of my week included a swim and a soar knee taking my running out of the training plan for this week. Haven't had much else going on. Just hanging with the hubby and reading alot. I tell ya, it's been a long week.

My Weekend Workouts

Saturday, March 18th 2006:
I woke up at about 5:30 this morning, I have practice at 9am and I would love to get just a little more sleep. It's not happening, so I jump on my computer and take care of some reunion business.

My Team in Training practice this morning is at Seward Park. I will be doing my first multi-brick training. When I get to Seward it is cold, very cold but I know that my bike/run will soon warm my body. We bike a 5 mile loop, then run what I believe was 1 mile. Everyone was to complete 4 transitions, I only completed two and a half. I was close to stopping at two but, with the help of my coach I did the bike one more time and it felt good to do that. After two weeks of vacation and my lack of training, I was hitting a wall very early on.

Sunday, March 19th 2006:
It's a gorgeous day in Seattle. If you had a chance to be outside, I hope you were. I went to church in the morning then Tim and I decided that we needed to be outside so we went for a bike ride. We headed from home down the Burke Gilman Trail to the UW, about 12 miles round trip. I don't get enough time on my bike and although my legs were certainly feeling it, it was nice to be out there - so this was a nice bonus.

The Jamaica Trip Continues...

On Monday morning Tim and I headed down to Negril. I'd never been to the place we were staying at so we were a little worried. However, Catcha Falling Star ended up being wonderful. Our first evening in Negril we swam in the beautiful Caribbean Sea, had dinner from a roadside diner and drank wine under the stars. We were in heaven.

On our second day we decided to go snorkeling. I must admit that I got a little bored and I drove Tim crazy. After some Ackee and Saltfish for breakfast, we headed into town to look for a game of beach volleyball, we came up empty. Instead we got into a minor fender bender. So, we ate lunch at Cosmos, bought some local art and then headed back to our abode. Tim spent the evening jumping off the cliffs, I read my book. That evening we ate at the Rockhouse then relaxed in our patio hammock listening to a concert at Ricks Cafe (4 doors away).

The next day we lazed around, read and played cards. We were having the time of our lives doing whatever WE wanted to do.

Thursday morning we headed to the south coast to stay one night at Jakes in St. Elizabeth. Although we were not as happy with our room, the place is a great little hide away. Their restaurant Jack Sprat (near to the beach) played some really good music so that's where we would spend most of our time.

Heading back into Kingston, the following day, we stopped at Lovers Leap and we ate lunch at Little Ochi. Our final weekend in Jamaica was spent with the family. We even had an opportunity to take the kids to Dunns River Falls, we did have fun.

So that's our vacation, it was a time we both deserved and we both enjoyed.
Mi cay wait fi go back home.
For more pictures check out Shutterfly.

The Food...The Workouts

Steamed Garlic Crab, Jerked Shrimp and Bammy

Tim constantly reminds himself how much he loves the food in Jamaica, it is all good and let's just say that our workouts did not exceed the amount of good food we ate. So needless to say we did eat well and we did put on a little weight.

I know I have a triathlon that I'm working towards, so I will share with you my limited time of training. I did a total of 4 workouts while on vacation, my initial plan for my 14 days on the island was to do at least 8, so I was 50% there. I did a 1600m swim, and three runs that were 3-plus miles. I cannot lie it's been a while since I have run in heat like that. I truly missed that amount of sweat running down my face, my back and my arms. I do wish I had done a few more workouts but the hammock just kept on calling my name.

Tomorrow I will share with you our wonderful getaway in Negril at Catcha Falling Star.

Home Sweet Home

Courtney the Performer

Luke the Sports Star

Stuart the Star Baller

I've decided that with the amount of pictures and information I have to share about our trip I'm not going to overwhelm you all at once, so I will give it to you in pieces.

I arrived in Jamaica 4 days before Tim and that time was spent with my family. I had the opportunity to watch my two nephews, Stuart and Luke, play football and on Sunday I went to watch my niece do her synchronize swimming. When Tim arrived late Sunday evening we had ourselves some good Jamaican food (more to come) and a quiet evening with mummy.

It's Cold Out There

Tim and I had a wonderful time in Jamaica and although it is nice to be back home, it's always hard to say goodbye.

The moment we departed the plane the cold hit us, we had gotten so use to the warm sun beating down on us that we had to pull out the warm coats and get into bundle mode. It's wonderful to be home, sleeping in our own beds and having a different pair of shoes to wear (limited clothes when you travel) but our trip was really jam packed and fun. My next entry will have pictures and a review of our time in our second home.

Soon Come

Tim and I are going to be in Jamaica for 2 wonderful weeks. I arrive on Thursday (March 2nd)and spend a few days in Kingston with my family. Tim arrives on Sunday, after a business meeting in Miami. We head to Negril (Catcha Falling Star) on Monday morning for 4 nights and then we will spend one night in St. Elizabeth at Jakes. Our final weekend in town we plan on seeing family and friends. During the entire visit, I plan on eating as much good Jamaican food as I can.

As for my training, the good news is that my sister, Lisa, is also training for a triathlon so I plan on tagging along with her. When I'm off in the country I will play tennis and run.

I'm not sure how much blogging I plan on doing, you might get an update on the trip and then again I am in Jamaica so you might not.

Layta