Mi Familia

My oldest brother Harold, his wife Jeanna and their two kids Savannah and Mackson visited us last week for their summer vacation. It was FUN! There wasn't any one activity that stuck out - it was simply a joy having them around. I've outlined some of the highlights below...

A dinner picknic at Rocky Butte (the perfect location for plane watching...).

A trip to Voodoo doughnuts (a must for a family full of doughnut connoisseurs)

A trip to the coast (Wyatt was stuck at home studying for his 4 quizzes and 1 test the whole week - YUCK!) I'll Photoshop him in the picture later...

A trip to the Tillimook Cheese Factory. Notice Harold's face of complete satisfaction? I think it looks like he might've had a bit too many free cheese samples...

I think my favorite part of their whole trip was being in the company of people who live to eat. We indulged ourselves everyday on a variety of treats, enjoying a sampling of the finest baked goods in Oregon (I know what you're thinking..."Voodoo? Fine?"). From nobake cookies (aka: "gaggies" ) to baguettes, to cupcakes and tarts and brownies, and cookies, and doughnuts, and pastries, and many more delectiables. It was glorious!

Even better than the food was the company. I got a little emotional when they left Saturday morning. It was so much fun having them around! Especailly while Wyatt is busy, busy in school. If only I were a teacher (and a millionaire) then I could keep myself occupied all summer.

Thanks for the visit HJS&M!

TWO

Happy Anni Wyatt!

Death

I'd venture to say that most people don't like death. On the contrary, I like death. Hear me out before you think I'm some morbid person... I was thinking today how death brings out the best in people. It brings out the best qualities in the deceased by reminiscing on all of their positive attributes and accomplishments. And it brings out the best in the living by allowing them to reflect on the happy memories of the person that passed away. Think about it, when have you ever been to a funeral where the eulogy was a laundry list of unfavorable stories?

I was pleased to hear nothing but kind remarks about Michael Jackson today. Despite his shady background and questionable actions, people were able to overlook his imperfections and see him as a good person.

I hope that when people die they have the opportunity to eavesdrop on earth and hear all the good things people say about them. I think sometimes people don't hear it enough while they're living.

On a different note, I am LOVING summer! I spent the longest day of the year (aka the first day of summer) playing baseball with Wyatt's family until it was too dark to see. I can't think of a better way to start the summer off. Other summer treats I have been enjoying are: s'mores, corn on the cob, shorts, sunglasses, flip-flops, windows rolled down, more bicycle riding, light until 9pm, and so on. I am so happy it's finally here!

Triathlon Addendum

I forgot two very important parts of my triathlon that need some recognition...

1. If it weren't for my friend Melanie I never would've done the race. More importantly I just wanted to share how awesome she is because she completed the race after having a baby less than five months ago. She is a warrior!

2. I never did have to use the $25 helmet I begrudgingly bought at Walmart because Melanie's cousin happened to have an extra helmet. Given it was for a little kid so it was purple and pink with flowers...but it fit fine and allowed me to return the unused $25 helmet and receive a full refund! Thanks Melanie! I laugh thinking about my ammature self, participating in the triathlon, wearing a little girl's helmet. If I didn't stick out like a sore thumb to begin with...the helmet really put the frosting on the cake. But hey, I didn't get disqualified! :)

The Triathlon

My triathlon went much better then planned. I guess anything would be better than what I had envisioned...sinking unnoticed to the bottom of the lake.

Here is how the race played out: 10-minutes from the park (20-minutes from home) I discover that I have forgotten my bike helmet. Which normally wouldn't bother me any other day except that I was participating in a race and would be disqualified if I didn't wear a helmet. So after a quick prayer, we were gently guided to the right exit which just so happens to have one of the three Walmarts in the whole metro Portland area. And it was open! So I ran in and begrudgingly paid the $25 for the needed helmet.

There were a line of cars about a half-mile long waiting to get into the park about 30-minutes before start. So in order to be at the start line on time I took my bicycle out of the bed of Wyatt's truck, hopped on, and rode into the park. And already at that point I had one bicyclist pass me. This is what I like to call "foreshadowing".

I organize all my gear at the transition station, throw on my wetsuit and get to the start-line at the same time the first wave starts. Finally it's my wave's (women 25-29 years) turn to go. I strategically place myself on the side closest to the shore at the back. I knew the swim was going to be hard but I really had no idea. Seriously, 2-minutes into it I had the thought in my head, "what were you thinking?" and "I don't know how I'm going to swim a half-mile". It was NOTHING like swimming my half-mile in the pool. Most noticeably there weren't any lines painted on the bottom of the lake. Which is a nice segway into this video:

Yep, that's me cutting across all those swimmers. Imagine my surprise when I finally did stop to see where I was and found no one in front of me and everyone behind me. Wyatt said he was going to yell "you're going the wrong way!" until the lady next to him said aloud, "what is that women doing cutting across all those swimmers?" He made no indication that he was related to me... :)

Next was the 12-mile bike ride. In a nutshell it was 12-miles of seeing the backsides of fellow contestants as they raced pass me on their road bikes. Did I mention I had the crazy idea that I really could do it on my bulky mountain bike? The worst part is that everyone had their age written on the back of their left calf, so I saw the last little bit from my age group pass me, plus the 30-year-olds, then the 40-year-olds, then the 50-year-olds...you get the picture. And yes, there were some 60-year-olds passing me by too. At one point one passer-byer suggested I raise my seat two inches and I would find better results. I didn't take his advise, not because I didn't believe him but because I was already lagging and didn't want to take the time to fuss with adjusting the seat height of my bike. I think the frustrating part was I was peddling just as hard as the people passing me up. I knew I was because I was measuring my revolutions against theirs and it was the same. I was just driving a suburban and they were driving a fancy sports car.

Last was the 3-mile run. FINALLY something I knew how to do! Sure my legs felt like jello at first but it felt so familiar it didn't seem to phase me. This time I was the one who did all the passing - where's your bike now?! I am pleased with the run and even feel like I could've shaved off another minute or two. I was in my element.

Here's the deal. Comparing my results to myself I did quite well. Especially for only swimming maybe a total of 5-hours before the event took place. Compared to everyone else, I think there is room for improvement. Wyatt thinks had I used a road bike I could've shaved off 10-minutes. I don't know if I could lose that many but perhaps a few.

And the results are...
Total Race Participants - 609
Total Division Participants (women ages 25-29) - 47
Race Ranking - 461/609
Overall Division Ranking (1:42:05) - 33/47
Swim Division Ranking (21:55) - 42/47
Bike Division Ranking (48:18) - 44/47
Run Division Ranking (26:19) - 13/47

Yeah, I think I'm going to stick with running races...

Things I Learned Today...

I am not a swimmer. Nor am I a biker. But I can certainly run! More to come later on how I got creamed on the first two legs of my triathlon.

Recent Happen'ns

Hi. My name is Brittany. You may know me from such posts as "Food Blogs", "Blackberry Pie", and "I Don't Like Cake". (Yes, food is one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world!) I just thought I'd reintroduce myself since it's been a while since I've posted anything about us - Los Wilsons. So here goes...Things We Did in the Month of May, by me.

1. Shared a dozen Voodoo doughnuts with these fine folks and our very cute niece, Maisie. (PS - You should update your blog with your new adventures in MN.)


2. Celebrated my true love's 31st year in life. The celebration consisted of one of my favs - blackberry pie! Contrary to what you may be thinking, I made it because Wyatt requested it. Not because it was one of my favorites. Though, I'm not going to lie, I was ecstatic that it was what he chose. After the celebratory eating of this most delicious pie, Wyatt went into the other room and studied for the Chemistry test he was going to take the next morning. Besides the pie, It was pretty sad.



3. Explored Portland with our BFF's (I don't know if they know they're our BFF's - maybe we're being too agressive and now they're scared away) Jake and AJ. We spent the day driving around and listening to this song... Thanks for reintroducing me to Beirut! I like their new stuff better then their old!

yep, that's Mt. Saint Helen's

For all you Twilight fans...this is the little cafe that Bella and her dad eat at.

4. Visited our California friends in...California! Though the temperatures were a bit on the chilly side, the sun was shinning and we still had a blast! Our fun-filled trip consisted of tasty food, good friends, very cute kids, beaches and impromptu jam sessions. I played the maraccas. Actually there was just one maracca that I played.






And now we're on to June... Does anyone else think this year is FLYING by?!!!