#Determination

One never knows what he'll see at our beach.

 I am SO proud of us. So proud. We have limitations. We both have full-time jobs. We have three (awesome and fairly young) kids (ages 6, 4, and 21 months). We have family and friends. We have Facebook accounts.

And we have determination.

This week put our determination to the test, more than once. Let me rundown some of the pitfalls we ran into:

• Unexpected family needs. My family needed me this week when my tough-as-nails dad was unexpectedly hospitalized for what is still an undiagnosed illness. I spent Thursday in the hospital while Jason took the day off from the office and held the fort down with the minions. We had a sitter already scheduled to watch kids that night while we took advantage of beautiful weather. When I returned home from the hospital, the (awesome) sitter was pushing kids on swings in the backyard and Jason was pedaling his way through the hilly plains of our neighborhood. So, I changed, kissed the kids (who barely noticed me thanks to the aforementioned awesome sitter), and drove to the biking spot. Jason pulled into the area as I was leaving, so we stopped, caught up, and then divided again. #determination
• Friday we had a swim day, and lately swimming has been the boon of my triathlon existence. God did not intend for humans to swim. Period. He would've given us gills otherwise. And webbed feet. All of us. I had my longest swim ever that day, and part way through I threw my pull buoy at Jason who finished a full half hour before I did. Lucky dog. But, I finished. #determination
• Saturday we had a long bike day. We once again found a willing, fun, and responsible sitter, and we tackled a long bike before noon. God indeed blessed us with excellent training weather this day, with temps in the upper 70s and a memorable stiff wind from the south with gusts up to 30mph. But we did it. And when we arrived home to relieve the sitter at noon, we gave each other a high five in triumph. #determination
• Sunday the hottest temps we've seen so far greeted us. We had what we call "thick" air for this time of year and what many a southerner would mock. But regardless, we took our turns on this day, Jason in the early part of the afternoon and me in the evening while he made some memories playing at the park with the kids. #determination
• Monday, Memorial Day, we took on the green monster. We have this lake near us, and while we feel so grateful to have an open body of water near us, ours has some peculiarities that allow us to swim in it only in the early part of the season. By July a thick film of green covers the lake, and as a result, we stay far far away. But for now, we just don the wetsuits, ignore the sun bathers' looks, and again, take our turns swimming around buoys and playing in the sand with the kids. Oh, and we did this after I spent the morning at the hospital with dad and my family again (poor Dad!). #determination

  

  The water felt fine . . . until it hit the wetsuit zipper. Yeah. 

Many things distracted us this week. Heat. Wind. Family emergencies. Beautiful weather. But two words distract me more than anything else right now: 18 weeks. That just sounds really really close. So despite the elements and family emergencies for now, we press on. We make the most of what each day gives us because we know, especially after this week, we don't know what the next day will bring.