Fueled by Fine Wine 2018

There is just no doubt about it.  I heart this girl.  Sarah and I have done a lot of life together and have figured out how to have an awesome friendship even though we are states apart.  I am truly grateful for her.  Life has changed and we are not the marathoners we once were, but we have both grown into this amazing space of life and still find the time to catch up, have some conversation, run some miles, and drink wine.

Last year we did the Fueled By Fine Wine Half Marathon in Dundee, Oregon.  It was such a hit and such a blast to do that we immediately decided it needed to be an annual thing.  This year just the 2 of us could swing it, but we met up in Oregon and just had the best time.

Neither Sarah nor I have been in avid training mode, so we both decided this event was most assuredly not for time, but for pure unadulterated enjoyment.  Given the fact that this race is one of the most challenging courses with nothing but hills for 13.1 miles, it helped knowing we were there to soak it all in and not compete to the death.  We are good for each other.

Another bonus about not being hot and bothered to "race," is that we got to enjoy the wine before and after the running.  She and I enjoyed one of our favorite wine spots, Argyle, before we turned in early.  So nice to not have a schedule.

Oregon is simply beautiful this time of year.  It is cool, green, and so inviting.  Dundee is extra special because it is simply covered in vineyards and wineries.  Its a small town, but bustling with the flow of great wine.  Its delightful.

Race morning was no exception.  They change the course every year so this year we started at Stoller Family Estates right on the side of a big hill.  The race started downhill, but we were instantly aware that the Start line was also the finish line.  What goes down must come up so we knew the last half mile was going to be a doozy.  Whatever.....we can walk.

This race truly is one of the most unique events I have ever had the opportunity to be a part of.  Not only is the course different every year, but you literally spend 80% of your time running up and down the hills of the vineyards, traipsing down the grape trails, and climbing (sometimes nearly crawling) up the massive hills. The views are SPECTACULAR and thanks to our commitment to enjoy them we stopped as often as we could to snap pictures.

The people and fellow racers make this event so much fun.  Most people that come are really there for the experience of it all and you can usually find numerous runners who are willing to stop and take your picture.  You hear great stories and meet some pretty cool people.

This winery below was my absolute favorite.  Domaine Serene was spectacular and I found myself forgetting that I was only at mile 7.  It was out of a movie.  Just beautiful. I really could have run around that spot all morning. AHHHH.

Sarah and I rolled into the Stoller Family Estates with enormous smiles on our faces.  Not only was the race beautiful, but time together brings us both a lot of joy. We made memories and enjoyed every second.

The finishing hill was there, but we took it in stride and ran our way to the finish line.  SO MUCH FUN!  

We claimed our medals and wine glasses and headed right into the wine tasting tent....after all that's really why we were there!

It was quickly apparent that if I wanted to continue enjoying wine we needed food, so we headed back to the hotel, showered our very dusty bodies off, and ate. Sarah and I discovered this AMAZING little bar and grill that had sweet potatoe fries to die for so we settled in and filled in some hollows.

The rest of our afternoon was spent enjoying the Uncommon Wine Festival and a couple other free wine tastings.  Nothing like having a buzz for the afternoon.  

We crawled into bed at a nice late time of 8pm and I was out.  What a wonderful day, an amazing race, and an incredible friend to do it with.

The Fueled by Fine Wine 2018 did not disappoint, and I think its safe to say that our yearly tradition will continue.  

Evie Looses a Tooth!

The day has come!  Evie lost her very first baby tooth!  Oh how she has desperately wanted to lose some teeth.  Ever since Lily started getting money from that little fairy Evie has been ever so anxious to start cashing in.  I will admit I was a bit worried a year ago when she ran up to me telling me her teeth were getting loose! Yikes, you are only 4 kid.  Ah the hopes of a dreamer.  Evie has done her best to wait patiently, but it has been so hard.  About 2 months ago she came up to me just sure her bottom tooth was loose.  I checked and sure enough, it was just starting its letting go process.

I will admit, watching your baby hit these milestones is a little bit more emotional then I would have initially thought.  With Lily it was all so exciting because I still had her sister to experience it all with.  I won't lie, I had a little nostalgia when she lost a tooth.  No more baby smile!  I don't have babies anymore.

Evie has been wiggling that little tooth for a long time now and the other day she was convinced that it was time to come out.  "Mommy, I think we can pull it out."  So we sat there on the couch wiggling, twisting, and trying to grab it.  It was probably a little premature, but she was so determined.  I finally told her that if she really wanted it out I could pull it out with my tweezers.  She took a big breath and said, "Okay Mommy, let's try that."  So I did and after 3 tries, VOILA!  It was out and Evie lit up.  Actually Lily is the one who was overly excited, but both girls were giddy!

I put the tooth fairy on notice and made sure that Evie put the tooth under her pillow.  

That poor tooth fairy though.  She just cannot remember.  So the next morning when a distraught Evie woke up to find nothing but her old tooth under her pillow, Mommy took to her phone to text the little lady.  Seriously tooth fairy, come on.  I sent a very concerned text to the Tooth Fairy and got a message back in short order.

Evie, I came to visit last night,

But didn't want to wake you up.

So I put your money in a special place.

Look next to Green Eggs and Ham.

Evie flew back into her room and scoured her book nook until she found it. $3 was there tucked right out of the corner. Whew, crisis averted.  I am going to have to create some sort of alert system to help that Fairy out.

My baby no longer has her perfect little baby smile and I am excited. She is growing up and is on her way to big kid status.  Hooray for holey smiles!

Hey Roomie!

I am so grateful for the people that have come into my life.  Not every person who goes to college gets to keep making awesome memories with their roomates.  I am one of those lucky people and even though I seem to keep moving away from her, I still stay buds with my college roomate and friend Carolyn!

This year BJ and Carolyn bought their TESLA!  To say that Bob has been geeking out with BJ would be an understatement.  They decided to take their Tesla on the road and visit us.  It was so much fun to ride out in the wild in the "dream car."  Won't lie, its not just a Bob thing anymore. I kinda like it........okay.....I love the dang thing.  Such a cool car.

They spent one of their days here with us doing our river running thing.  It was hot, yes, but the river was delightful and I couldn't wait to take all the kids.

Ellie is figuring out the river too.  She is such a good puppy.  We got her a little green life jacket and she and I paddle the river together. She hasn't fallen off once.......can't say the same thing about me.  Ellie isn't completely in love with the idea, but she is amazingly calm, and such a fun companion on the river.

BJ managed to get himself flipped over under a tree right out of the gate.  He was such a good sport and even though he lost his sunglasses, it didn't seem to damage his spirit!

All the kids took turns on the little green kayak and when they weren't swimming in the river, raiding the snack bag, or jumping off rocks, they all wanted to be on my paddleboard.  This was the one point where my board was the most full.  Amazingly none of us fell off!

The wild horses were out all over the river and it was amazing to see their dynamics and all the different colors.  These horses are amazing.  They literally eat the river grass and will completely submerge their heads to get it.  They swim back and forth across the river and are incredibly resilient in the 108 degree heat.

 

We jumped off rocks, threw marshmallows, had a picnic, and all managed to keep from getting too sunburned.

Our day closed with tacos and plenty of conversation to last a while.  I miss this woman and her family, but I am ever so grateful that we still manage to stay a part of each other's lives.  Here's to the day we can have a Tesla date together!

 

Dueces Wild Triathon 2018

The Dueces......we LOVE this race.  Back in 2016, I registered to run this Olympic race last minute and fell in love with it right away.  This race is quite possibly my favorite one to do (well.....minus IRONMAN).  The best part is that once Bob ran it, he fell in love with it too, so its kind of become a staple in our Summer.

Whew......this year was a little wild getting to the start line.  We always register for this event a year in advance so when we actually get to the month we are always amazed at how busy we made literally every day around the race weekend.  This year was really exciting as we traveled to Canada, Florida, and home in the week leading up to the race.  We literally flew in from Florida on a Wednesday, drove up to the race on the Saturday, raced on Sunday, drove home that night, only to send Bob on a 4 day business trip back to Florida.  Yes....we are gluttons for punishment, but never let it be said that the Longmire's sit around!

With all the scheduling we didn't camp this year which was both wonderful and kind of sad.  Camping is half the fun!  We showed up to the start line and instantly got that race feeling! Neither Bob nor I could honestly say that we were trained for this race.  We both maintain a level of fit though that lets us go into these races less than race ready which is nice.

The AZ Tri  Club was out and proud this year and I was reminded again how cool it is to be a triathlete and run in these circles.  Ill say it again, I know some cool people!

The swim was heavenly.  I just love swimming in open water, and race day was no different.  The water was cool and invigorating and once I was in and moving, I settled into this perfect swimming place.  The bike course is probably the second big reason why we love this race.  It is spectacular and such a fun and semi challenging course.  This year was windy.....and hot.  Arizona is in a major drought and the temps this year are just rising and rising. The bike was hot....but was nothing compared to the run.....WOWZA.

By the time I pulled into transition and got my running legs moving, it was well into the high 80s.  Not ultimately so bad except for the fact that there was no cloud cover, the course had no shade, and we ran much of the race on pavement or concrete.  We just baked.....and baked.  After the first mile it was painfully clear to me that running the entire 10k was off the table. I just couldn't find that go forever rhythm.  I was struggling between nausea and shaky legs and practically begging anyone with water to just throw it on me.  Bummer.

At mile 3 Bob came running past me at his mile 5.  He looked strong, and I was simply overwhelmed with the reality that I still had 3 more arduous miles ahead of me in the heat.

Ill tell you, triathlons are like a therapist.  They reveal a lot about you.  You can learn so much about your strengths and weaknesses doing this sport we call tri.  

So there I was......wanting to quit.....having every negative thought in the book.......dehydrated tears streaming down my face........angry at myself for not training harder......angry for being angry.......wondering why I couldn't just enjoy the day as it was...........raw emotion.....

Then my team mate and friend Bob Norvelle came running up beside me.  He too was feeling the heat, and so we just started talking and walking and enjoying the miles for what they were.  We decided to stick with each other through the finish and together we ran walked those last 3 miles.  My frown turned upside down and I was humbled at the powerful impact of community, friendships, and relationships.  That is what these kind of events is about.

It was such a delight to spend the time with Bob and we ran into the finishing shoot strong and all smiles.  I love this race.

Even with the struggles I managed to pull out a Third place win in my age group.  Bob had an insanely tough group and even with his amazing time came in 9 out of 13 (man his age group is rough!)

The girls got to come up with me at the awards ceremony and I love that their picture just might make the paper up in Show Low!

I have to give an amazing shout out to this woman and friend right here! She is one of the most consistent and tough women to race against.  Last year she soundly beat me in the water and on the bike, but I managed to catch her on the run. Not this year.  She had me from moment one and she put in a solid, consistent, strong performance. I could not have been prouder of her accomplishment.

Once again The Dueces Wild Triathlon did not disappoint and we are looking forward to more events in the future!