Weekend Bliss

• On: 12/14/2009 20:43:02

Shhh, can you hear yourself think?  YES!  That was Jerome and I this past weekend.  Every year my parents take the kids for their Annual Gingerbread decorating day.  This year they also took all their grandkids (minus the newborn, Chloe) on the Polar Express!   Then, to top it off my sister, Beth, took the twins from my parents on Saturday night for a sleepover!  AND then took them rollerskating for my niece’s birthday…and then I had our year-end Triathlon Club’s party – so when I saw the kids it was 7.30am Monday morning – JUST in enough time to get them to school!  PHEW!!!!!

I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or Jerome and I!  On Saturday after we dropped the kids off at my parents at 10.30am we were OFF.  We went right to Panera to get coffee/hot tea and a bagel.  MY FAVORITE thing to eat in peace in quiet.  We sat in those leather chairs and read the newspaper!  BLISS!  Honestly, we just needed to de-tox from the kids and put together a game plan for the day and night!

I had to chuckle because sitting RIGHT next to us was a couple with what appeared to be twin boys.  The mom was running around like a chicken with her head cut off – changing diapers, warming up some bottle…the dad was managing the other baby while he cried because mom was gone.  I (of course) struck up a conversation with the dad (Jerome wouldn’t talk to anyone unless they were glued to his face) and asked about them and how old they were, etc.  I *KNEW* they were like, “Um, whatever you couple with no kids youhavenoidea.”  HAHA.  I said, “Oh we have twins too….but…they are almost 8…been there DONE that!”  He looked absolutely trashed.  He was.  The kids were only 11 months. 

Anyway, back to the day…so, after reading the Chicago Tribune from front to back, I was a happy camper and we decided to head up to IKEA.  Now, IKEA is a huge trip on a Saturday.  We were fueled properly and had to have a game plan.  Basically, we went there to look at desks for the kids.  See, we decided to get the kids a computer.  Or two.  We started with one.  And, while one sounds completely sane and normal to anyone reading this – two sounds excessive.  But, the issue is this.  The twins share EVERYTHING and sometimes we need to step up.  The kids are behind with their computer skills and games and fun times compared to their friends.  It is starting to bother me a bit.  And, that is all my fault.  I am ALWAYS on the computer.  Of course…it is my work.  And, if they mess up my main laptop, I am SOL.  So, they can’t really play on it.  But, they ask me all the time.  So, that is why we headed up to IKEA, we wanted to do this right.  They have a playroom that needs to take the NEXT step in their development (bye bye younger kid toys)…and Christmas (and their birthday is in January) is the time to get this stuff done.  Nearly 2.5 hours later we had escaped from IKEA with two full carts of stuff.  I actually found some other things (surprise surprise) and the kids desks and chairs and lights, etc.  It will be so fun!  We will set it all up on the 26^th with them.  It will be nice for them to have their own STUFF.

Ok, then, we implemented the “rule”…that is when you can not talk about the kids anymore.  That is easy.  We moved to our Tucson camp we are hosting or racing or whatever…we ended up at Runners High N Tri to look at a gift for someone else (shhhh) and socialized way too long up at the store.  It was fun.  Jerome and I actually met at this store (in its original location) 14 ½ years ago (gasp) and Jerome proposed to me at the same bench we met at as well….and I got my wedding dress there too (NOT the running store!)…so this area has a ton of special memories for us.  We then had an early dinner at ALT THAI – it was so good! 

The next day we slept in.  I went to Masters and then came home and cleaned my office. I could not stand it anymore!  It was knee deep in paperwork (think January 1^st!) and Christmas lists and Christmas cards and 529 statements and dental insurance…blah blah!  I cleaned and cleaned until Jerome asked me at 11.15am when we were going trail running.  Oh righhht.  I was SO trashed from the huge swim set….I am out of that kind of shape…but it was “warm” outside at 32F degrees, so I ate some eggs and tomatoes, avocado and we went for  a run.  It was a mess out there, but you know why it was SO fun?  Besides the fact that Jerome and I never run together….I could run the trails!  FREEDOM!!!!!  You know what REALLY irks me?  The fact that my area to run in gets smaller and smaller each year.  Some girl was just jumped on the path I run on EVERY TIME I RUN almost.  Um, ok.  And, this trail where Jerome and I ran yesterday….I can not run on it by myself.  Ok, well that is a problem b/c I run by myself 99% of my runs!!!!  So, I wanted to run in places I needed Jerome!  75 minutes later I was DONE….I had done 2 workouts and more than I have done in awhile – so I walked straight into Starbucks and got a hot chocolate – I was having a meltdown.  I know I am out of shape when I am starving SOO much during my workouts – the body is NOT as efficient in processing food when I am out of shape.

The weekend ended with our Year End Triathlon Club’s party – I organized it- and it turned out well.  Food and company went well and we ate, drank and played Bocce Ball and Bowled…both of which I suck at.  In fact, I think they were secretly laughing at me because I warned them I could NOT bowl…and they said, “aw, come on Jen, you always say that!”  (no I don’t!)…but I bowled and I was right – I SUCKED.  We laughed so hard!  It was a great way to end the year and the weekend. 

I am excited for tomorrow. I start my training back up.  Well, I am still keeping things much lower key, but I do start my strength cycle and am meeting back up with my personal trainer that I hired to keep me in line!  I already set up rules with her. I emailed her and said, “If you make me work on my suck ass plank for 1 hour, I will fire your ass.”  (I was not kidding – lol).  I am back into Masters too this week…and just slowly starting to train a bit more.  Now, if only I would unpack my bike from Clearwater.  Yes, it is still in the bike box…but in all fairness, I have my pink Planet X bike set up on the Computrainer.  Not sure WHEN I will unpack my Genius.

And, regarding races for 2010…getting closer to making a call on what I will do.  This weekend I wrote out my TOP 10 race experiences – so that I could recall what made me the MOST happy over these years and what I liked the MOST.  Now, most of I will not duplicate in 2010 – um, Worlds in Australia, etc…but I wanted to get that out there to see if anything would fit into the 2010 plans.  So, that process is going on. I am in NO rush.  I am having much more fun playing Santa Clause & holiday partying!