12/9/11


i took a test...it came out positive.
we are having a baby!
insane.
haha i didn't believe the first test. so i took another one.
yup the same results.
2 lines = baby


still crazy!
yet we couldn't be happier.


12/10/11


went to agoura for some family time..and shared the big news.
haha though i pretty much did it by waving around my peepee sticks. yes, so adult of me right? well, that's what i did and of course no one was grossed out. we're weird like that. everyone was all smiles and full of happiness.
though i was bummed when they were celebrating w/ wine..and i realized i can no longer have any for the next 36 weeks.
even worse...they put out cheese & salami..and i couldn't eat the salami! aye yay yay!!! but i got me some cheeses, so that's good. wasn't allowed to touch the camembert, but i was satisfied w/ the gouda and parmesan and manchego=).


12/11/11


though i told him when it happened, we visited dad's grave site and i gave him the news again. and yes, like i did the previous day...i waved my peepee sticks and told him we're having a baby! and again i waved it up towards the sky because i know he's smiling and watching over us. i am sad not knowing his facial expression at the news. but i'm sure what i have pictured in my head is exactly how dad would have looked if he were physically with us now. and i know he's so so happy for us.


12/12/11


went to the doctor, well actually the nurse's station and got the official confirmation. again, another urine test. this time though it made it more official for us. made our first prenatal appointment where the doc will do an ultrasound and find out how far along the baby is. right now i'm approximately 4-5 weeks. 


12/13/11


still unreal. ordered some baby books that should be arriving soon. read so much online and of course paranoia starts to kick in about little things. is cramping normal? going to the bathroom so much normal? feels like this all happened right after we got the official yes, you're preggos. weird right?


i did notice that in the days leading up to us finding out we were having a baby that i was having crazy, vivid dreams, my right knee was super sore and i had to keep elevating it, i was always thirsty, pounding headaches two days in a row,  had a cold & sore throat, and tiiiiiiiiiiired. now i'm feeling the slight back aches, the sore boobage, and cramps. hehe and more tiredness.


how to prepare now? we're so not prepared. hahahah. this is going to be interesting!


oh, and those we've told think we made a jamaican baby=P. y'know..bc we went to jamaica? and now we're preggos? hehehe.


so happy bc my parter in crime is expecting as well=). pretty much got the news right when we came back from vacay. heheh and then when they got back from vacay they got the news about us. such a crazy, exciting time for the both of us! yay!!!


12/15/11


got our books yesterday=). good thing i ordered a few books on my own. hahah the one's that my sister gave me were all about after having the baby. heheh, she must've been tired when she got us the books=P.


just recently found out that 2 more of our friends are preggo as well! wow, 2012 is going to be the year of babies!!!! i'm so glad i'm not alone in this. it helps to be able to talk to others about things i'm going through, things they're going through, and just relate to the whole pregnancy. the big thing is it helps to make me feel sane about it all and not so paranoid=P.


restarted my daily downtown walks during break time. man, that last climb towards the disney concert hall had my heart racing. good thing i brought water with me. i'm SO thirsty all the time now! hopefully these little walks can slowly ease me back into the fitness regime. is that normal? am i supposed to get winded that easily? 


ooooh and a new discovery -  taste nirvana's coco aloe! coconut water w/ aloe vera mixed in. yum! i thought zico water was good, but man this is so much better. mmm, and it should help w/ these darned pregnancy symptoms. 


i've been stuffed up the passed few days. of course i turned to trusty google and realized there's such a thing as rhinitis of pregnancy. uh yay? lucky me. thank goodness it's not harmful to the baby, i was really worried i had a cold virus at first. but i don't have the normal body achy feeling or chills that i normally get. so, let's just hope continuous neti-potting helps out!


oh geez. too add to my paranoia...i just read that aloe vera isn't good during pregnancy. ahhhhhhhhhh i hope 1 bottle of the aloe coco doesn't do anything bad. so back to regular coconut water from taste nirvana from now on. i've read already that coconut water is good=). where was my head when i was checking that stuff out? why didn't i search aloe too? d'oh. hoping all is well.


01/3/12


happy  new year! wow, it's been awhile. the holidays go by so quick and were so busy! got to tell the rest of the cousins about the baby=). yay they're so excited. hahah of course hoping for twins! crazies. i was soooo tired christmas eve. we usually stay up til midnight to open gifts and stuff, but i had to take a nap beforehand just so i could be awake for the midnight festivities=P. plus i felt bad that i couldn't help with more of the cooking. the smells would just get to me, so i contributed some baked goods=). this nausea sucks hard.


we also had our holiday party with the friends. haha that was interesting. husby and i figured we'd take the marshall & lily approach from himym and pretend to drink but have husby finish my drinks. i took a beer and then totally forgot that we always cheers w/ each other..so we did and while everyone knocked their heads back to take a swig i just pretended to take a drink while looking at the tv=P. dunno if ppl bought that. haha bc i didn't take a drink for the rest of the night. guess we'll find out! i was bummed too bc i had signed up to make a ham for the potluck. then after we found out i was preggos i was like..ahhh i can't eat ham anymore (well i guess if it's piping hot). but i didn't want to change my dish at the last minute bc ppl might wonder why. so i baked my ham, but didn't get to eat any since it cooled down by the time we got to the party. boo. heheh oh well..the little things we have to give up.


1/11/12


we had our first prenatal appointment today! got the ultrasound, heheh and no, no twins. though we have a beautiful baby coming=). doc said i ultrasound well. umm thanks? hehe=P. i did get a little freaked out though after she gave us our ultrasound pictures she glanced up at the screen again and was like, hmm do you mind if i check the baby again i want to see what that artifact(??) is. and so i started freaking out...and to cheer myself up i'd look at hubby and think oh maybe we're having twins after all? hahah. but it was just the baby's yolk sac=). dr. just wanted to make sure and was totally reassuring that everything was okay and baby looks beautiful. hehe we got to see the arm buds and leg buds..crazy! i just kept giggling while i was looking at the screen. i can't believe i've got a baby growing in me. insane.


now it's on to the gazillion blood tests and lab work that the dr. requested. since dad was diabetic they want me to do an extra glucose test. i guess it's normally done in the 2nd trimester, but they want me to do one in the first as well to make sure i'm okay and not on track to gestational diabetes. then we have to make the choices about prenatal screening for birth defects. i'm such a worry freak..always so scared. but lou keeps telling me everything will be fine. i think i just get so paranoid bc i have an uncle with parkinsons and one other that we thought had parkinsons but was later diagnosed with huntington's. hoping and praying baby is just fine!


aww i also found out from the dr. that no more hot yoga for me! darn! i just bought a class membership to the nearby yoga studio and also a groupon to the one near cat. i know it's for the best...can't have my body temp going up bc that means baby's body temperature would get higher than mine. but that class was so fun! time to invest in prenatal yoga dvd's and check out the other nearby studio that has prental yoga=P. should be interesting. for now, my workout regime has just been my daily walks during my work breaks. it's only about 1.5 miles but at least it's something. i get so winded still going on that uphill climb. must go slower so that i'm not over exerting. so weird not being able to do my regular workouts.


1/25/12


man i feel so fatty and bloated. i'm starting to bust a bit out of my pants so i went to babies r us this weekend and invested in the belly band and this other clasp looking thing. now my work days feel sooooo much better. it was hard having that pressure on my belly the past week. it's already bad i have to pee a lot now, but with the pants pressing on my belly it increased it even more.


my jeggings and stockings have been my bff's. haha but i can't wear that to work..so belly band it is. it's a good thing it's been chilly these days. i get to wear my coats to cover up my bloated looking self. though the one time i took my coat off (since i just came back from my walk and was hot) i had to talk to one of my coworker's about something. so we talk, i go back to my cube, and my other coworker who knows i'm preggo told me that coworker #1 just asked him (coworker #2) if i was pregnant! so #2 plays dumb and is like, oh i don't know..why do you think she is? and #1 says well, she looks like she gained a little weight and starts pointing towards his belly area. so #2 says why don't you ask her? and #1, smartly answers, no way! hahahahah. darn...the one time i took my jacket off i get noticed! i kinda knew my outfit was a bit risky to wear too. my pants were one of the ones i had felt like i was busting out of..and my sweater was a bit too form fitting for someone trying to hide the preggo belly=P. my bad. i just thought i'd have my coat on the whole day! geeeeeeeeeeeeeeez. 


so now i'm sure everyone's raising an eyebrow when i pass by. haha i can just see their eyes working their way to my belly after we exchange hello's. just 2 more weeks and i'll start sharing the good news=). i think by week 13 that should be okay right? i can share the news at work and we can finally tell all our friends and the rest of the family. though i think some of the friends already have suspicions too since i wasn't drinking at the holiday party and i've been dodging some invitations lately. not because i don't want to go, i'm just so tired sometimes and the nausea will just trigger so randomly.


ehhhh so we've got this super smelly vanpool rider that just joined the van last month. oh geez..not only does he have bo, but his lunch is smelly too. and he just puts it in a plastic bag! fool you need a lunch bag!!!! soooo my quick remedy? i put a bounce sheet in a ziploc and whenever i get a whiff of the yucky smells i bring the bag close to my nose and i can smell some bouncy goodness! that or i resort to ginger candies, saltines, and water=/. it's crazy how acute your sense of smell gets while pregnant. i can't wait for 2nd tri to start! they say this nausea is supposed to subside by then and i'll regain my energy. please please please=).


2/1/12


february...already a month into 2012. feels fast but slow as well. i'll be starting my 12th week at the end of the week and i'm already itching to tell ppl. hard to hide the belly sometimes. i try the big sweaters, but i don't think it's working as well as i'd hoped=P. sometimes i go w/o the belly band since a few slacks still fit okay but might be more snug that i like. haha i just feel like sometimes w/ the belly band, you can see the the area where my pants aren't buttoned so i get conscious. heheh silly i know. this is all a part of the pregnancy=P. caaaaaaaaan't wait til we can tell everyone and i can bust out my belly! hahhhahah


so i had a lot of my labwork done last week. the only snafu was the glucose test. i tested higher than normal=(. i was totally bummed out when i got the results. dr. emailed me right away to tell me that i might be having a hard time breaking down the carbs - pasta, rice, crackers. which totally sucks right now bc those are the foods that i've been craving and have been good to my tummy w/ all this nausea. doesn't help that i've been drinking 7up/ginger beer during dinner to ease the queasy tummy. so next week i have to do that long 3 hour glucose test. i've changed my diet A LOT and i'm hoping that next week everything goes smoothly. i miss my pasta, rice & FRIES every once in awhile=/. 


i've gone a bit neurotic with this whole prenatal diet and created a spreadsheet to log in all the carbs/proteins/fiber/etc.. that i'm ingesting. just to make sure i'm following the right track. i was doing well until today - a belated chinese new year luncheon w/ the coworkers. tried to eat minimally on the rice but i'm sure the other stir fried stuff was loaded w/ carbs. here's hoping the next week and a half are positive for me. i want the baby to be okay so that's the motivation. i'm glad though i haven't really had any cravings for anything sweet lately. the only thing really was the nutella milkshake=P. i wanted to make one after having one last week (before i found out my test results!) but must be strong! and besides my morning walks and my yoga videos, i've added in afternoon stair climbing. hoping that with a bit more exercise it'll help break down the glucose.....please please please...


2/9/12


so we had our prenatal screening ultrasound yesterday. so happy that everything was good news! you don't know how worried i've been. i guess the whole failing my glucose screening test bummed me out and i've been scared about anything else that might happen. so when i was lying on the hospital bed, husby right beside me..i was too scared to look at the ultrasound screen. all i heard was the sonogram clicking away on her mouse while she prodded my belly with that ultrasound wand thingy they use. then all of the sudden i hear a heartbeat and the technician goes, "there goes your baby's heartbeat!" awww it was such an awesome thing to hear. 


hubby squeezed my hand and i finally turned to look at the screen..and there was baby=). the sonogram tech turned the monitor and we got to see the baby doing just fine and comfortable in there. ha, so comfortable that i had to get up and touch my toes 10x so that the baby can turn around and the technician could get the measurements she needed=P. it worked for a quick second and the tech was able to zoom in and get us a picture of the baby's facial features..hahah before he/she turned back around into his/her comfy position. man..takes after daddy! doesn't wanna be bothered when they're comfy cozy..hahaha.


then the dr. came in with all the results and i couldn't have been more relieved. she took a look at the baby as well and i had mentioned that the tech kept saying our baby was so comfortable with his/her back to us! and she goes, oh look the baby turned around, and see that? that's baby's hand resting on his/her head. awwwwww. i don't know why i didn't..but i'm totally regretting not asking for a sonogram picture of that moment. i can totally picture it in my head too! hehe totally reminded me of rose's pose (from titanic) on the couch...hhaha dram=P. so so cute.


and now tomorrow i have my 3 hr glucose test. please please i hope the results come out good and i don't have gd! not that i've been eating all bad lately, but i just feel so crazy monitoring everything i eat all the time. i'd like the occasional splurge on frozen yogurt & fries here and there=). but i know...all this for baby's health, and that's really what's important! so crossing fingers that i can last with this 14 hours of fasting and 3 hours of drinking yucky sugary glucose and getting my arm pricked.


2/13/12


yay my glucose test results all showed normal! i was so happy last friday!!! but man, the 3hrs waiting to get my blood drawn was blehh. actually that first hour after i had that glucola drink was the worst. the drink was more concentrated this time than the one i drank for the screening test. it actually went down pretty well so i thought, okay this is going to be no problem. hahah wrong! once that drink settled in i started getting really nauseous and just wanted to gag. i had to keep reminding myself that if i couldn't hold the drink down, i'd have to do this all over again! so noooooooo way!!! when the hour was up and it was time to get pricked again i was worried about not being able to hold down the 2nd drink. but i totally misunderstood and i didn't have to drink the glucola anymore!! yahoo..just the one time and then they prick me for the next 3 hours. i was SO relieved. and thank goodness for my new phone & kindle..kept me occupied while i was in the waiting room.


afterwards i had about 20 mins to eat lunch before seeing the ob/gyn. i wasn't sure if we'd be getting an ultrasound done, hehe but just in case i wanted to be prepared. since baby was resting the last time we got an ultrasound, i wanted to see him/her moving this time. i looked online and ppl said they drank oj, cold water, coffee, mt. dew, etc...to get the baby all revved up. so since i had to eat lunch i decided to get a coffee to check this theory out. i only took about 5 sips bc i was scared to take in too much caffeine. about a half hour passed and husby and i head to our appt. the dr. did an ultrasound and whatdoyaknow...baby was kickin' up a storm! hahahah we were soooo happy to see baby moving around..hehe but afterwards i felt guilty for drinking the coffee to get the baby up=P. so i tried to tell myself that it was from all the walking around i did earlier that woke up our baby. hehehe.


just made an appt. for the ultrasound where we find out the sex of our baby. woohoo exciting! i used to think i'd care whether i had a boy or a girl first...but with it actually being here now, i really just want us to have a healthy baby! still, it is pretty exciting to find out=). and i can't wait for tomorrow...yay going to finally share our happy news with the rest of the friends/fam/coworkers. yahooooooooooooo.

Sorrow makes us all children again - destroys all differences of intellect.The wisest know nothing.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson


every time i think i'm doing okay, in an instant i crack. i've been playing the avoidance game these past few weeks thinking everything was fine. figured if i kept myself busy and tried to go back to life's everyday tasks...that it was a way to show that i can move on. i can miss dad and things will be okay. if i keep telling myself that he's in a better place and i know he'll be watching over me, that things will be okay. but what i really want is for him to come back. i want to hear his voice, instead i keep replaying the last voice mail i have of him on my phone. i want to hear his laugh, so i keep replaying all the videos i can find of him on my computer. i want to see his face, so i made a collage and a video montage that i look at and watch all the time.  i want to remember his scent, so i've been putting off washing one of his favorite shirts that i kept for myself. it just sits there in the corner bc i'm too scared to touch it, too scared that if i wash it..it'll erase a memory of dad.  i keep listening to his favorite songs so that i can remember all the times he'd make me play it in the car for him and hear him singing to it. it's like i've become obsessed with doing anything i can to salvage any memory, any thought of dad. 


and it's fucking not enough.  i wish i can just wake up from this horrible horrible nightmare.

Sorry, I never told you, all I wanted to say
And now it's too late to hold you
'Cause you've flown away
So far away

Never had I imagined
Living without your smile
Feelin' and knowing you, hear me
It keeps me alive, alive

And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
Eventually I'll see you in Heaven

Darling, I never showed you
Assumed you'd always be there
I, I took your presence for granted
But I always cared
And I miss the love we shared

I know you're shining down on me from Heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
Picture a little scene from Heaven

Although, the sun will never shine the same
I'll always look to a brighter day
Yeah, Lord, I know, when I lay me down to sleep
You will always listen as I pray

And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day

And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day

Sorry, I never told you
All I wanted to say


-One Sweet Day
Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men


still unreal.

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.
-Scott Cameron


good weekend. as always i try to take advantage of holidays and plan a trip for husby & i. unfortunately this year we weren't able to book our peru trip during memorial since the inca trail trek had already sold out. so we decided to stay home and make it a family/training/relaxing weekend. it's so funny how 5 of my nieces/nephews are all born in may. and their birthdays are within like a 2 week span of each other. so may is always full of birthdays galore. this past weekend we went to adventure city to celebrate my nieces bday. i'd never been before, and it reminded me of a mini knott's for some reason. they should rename it to kiddieland or something=P. haha it was so cute seeing the kiddos so excited to go on the rides. wes got to play with his cousin taeden. they were like attached at the hip the whole day, what one would do the other HAD to do also. so so cute! and even cuter that they're both mestizo..man, these boys are gonna break some hearts when they grow up!


also got in some good training sessions. 
1) swam a mile in the pool. haha sounds fun eh? well more like interval lap training that added to a mile swim. and fit in another 1000yds on another training day. crazy how i can do these laps now albeit my form isn't great yet. still need to work on that. i remember starting out in march and i'd complain to husby how tired i was after just 2 laps. and he'd always reassure me that swim training is exponential. the more i keep at it, the more i'll improve. so i guess my endurance has kicked in=). just need to get the form down!!!


2) 25mile bike/3mile run brick workout. started out at yorba linda regional park and got to ride past angels stadium/honda center and back. pretty cool..but some parts of the trail were kinda stinky from the river. the morning kinda sucked at first bc it was pouring rain and i was so close to calling it quits bc i didn't want to get sick all weekend! but i sucked it up and luckily the rain stopped after about 10 minutes. i was so happy that i kept up with the group and the run wasn't too bad either. though i did get shin splints for the first few minutes but one of the other ladies said it was probably bc we biked in such cold weather.  the last 4 miles of the bike coach had me speed up like crazy to finish off strong. afterwards when she saw me smiling after the run, she told me that i don't think i've realized my athletic potential in triathlon. hahah man, part of me took that as a compliment but at the same time i'm scared she's gonna push me like crazy now=P. we'll see how it goes, i'm about to renew my tri-club membership for the upcoming summer season.


so, after trying on some bike saddles i finally found one that's kind and comfy for my bum & lady parts. hahahah. though i'm not too keen on the pink writing/design...at least this saddle works out for me!

yahoo!! looking forward to getting it by this weekend so i can do another long ride. finally feels good to feel comfy during these long bike rides. 

hmm that reminds me, need to pick up another pair of running shoes. the ones i have now i've already put too many miles in them! i know i should've changed them out after i finished the cal dreamin' series..ahhh but i forgot. shame on me! my knees are feeling it too=/. agh..this stuff gets so pricey that sometimes i wonder why we invest so much into it. but i look at it in the long run and i'll have this stuff for a long time and we're putting everything to good use!

yeah so with all this training and thinking of doing another tri, the inevitable question keeps following us. when are you guys going to have kids then? you said you'd start trying after last year's trip. you said you'd start trying after this past wedding. you said you'd start trying after your tri. ack. it just goes on. are we being too selfish? i don't know. there's just so much we want to do these days. i guess i'll save the rant for another blog.

for now i'll keep the mood nice=P. 1 more week til peruuuuuuuuu! i can't believe it's already coming up. may just went by so fast! lou and i got the last of our immunization shots we needed for vacay. ouch both my arms are so sore right now. but it's always good to be safer than sorry right? nurse lady said no street vendor foods..but man, those are the best!!! heheh we'll see.

and i love today's quote. snatched it from one of the tour companies we're using to go sand boarding. so so true. the more you see, the more humbling everything becomes. i enjoy embracing a new culture and learning about the country. can't wait!!!

The greatest accomplishement is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.
-Vince Lombardi


Man i fell off my blogging wagon. i was doing so well there for a bit. but it's been so hectic these past few weeks. boss has been on vacay so uhhh yay, everyone diverts to me..hahah boo. hehe so time to play catch up. and what better way then to do so w/ pictures! hehe haven't done one of these picture recaps for a while=P. so, what's been going on in this world of mine? well, for starters i got to see one of my favs in concert w/ one of my favorite peoples!

yep, that's miss janet at center stage w/ her combat look going on. she ended her set singing  "together again" and it had pictures of her and michael scrolling on the screen. ahhhhh. i was all excited and dancing around when she started singing. and then bam...once the pictures of janet & michael growing up started playing my eyes were getting all watery and sad. hahah dang you janet! but such an awesome, awesome tribute to your brother. i loved her concert....all her #1 hits. she's still got it, janet you rock! love love love...

let's see..then after the concert had to get into baking mode. why?? well, because i was asked to bake some cakes for our friends' twinsies that were turning 1! a bit stressful since i found out at the last minute, but i think everything turned out okay. i don't think i've ever baked so much in such a small amount of time! i had 2 small smash cakes for the girls and then a 2-tiered cake..each cake filled with 2-layered cakes. hahah and then the following day was my godson's bday and a belated bday for bro-in-law so i baked cuppycakes for my nephew and a cake for the bro. and to surprise my parents for their belated wedding anniversary i baked them  a cake too. phew. it was an 8 cake & 36 cupcake type of weekend. y'know..the usual! hahah at least our house smelled of freshly baked goods. yum yum. hahah.

twinsies cakes

and then the weekend after was the weekend i've been waiting for. the time to see if all my training finally paid off. it was triathlon time!!! welcome to sunny san diego for the spring sprint. it was a super sprint...so a good introduction for me into this new lifestyle.

south shores park to pick up our race packets

 and check out the course!

the lovely board letting us know what color cap we'd be assigned based on our age group and what time our wave start would be. hehe well i started at 7:20, no need to let you know my age=P. after we got our packets and previewed the course we were off to explore sd and have a big 'ol lunch.

well now, this meal was totally different than the meals i'd have the day/night before a running race. ha, hubby said it doesn't matter about the whole carbing up thing bc we're burning so many calories as it is. so uhhh yeah, here's our food splurge=P. don't worry..we couldn't finish all the fries..hahah.

i always get paranoid that we might forget something, so here's our pre-race gear check. ha, after everything was checked off...we put all the gear back into our transition backpacks only to unpack it again on race morning in the transition areas=P.

here's the swim preview. our swim start was to the left of this boat launch ramp that i'm standing on. hubby's wave was right before mine so it was really nice to have him there to pump me up and reassure me that everything would be okay. of course i had my morning jitters...so he stayed with me to warm up a bit in the water and get used to it again w/ my wetsuit on.

we pretty much swam in a rectangle around the buoys (which obviously aren't there yet) and beyond that ramp on the left side. we come back to the ramp on the left and swim back up to shore. the swim distance was just 1/4 mile..i know, not far for the experienced athletes...but a big accomplishment for myself. it was funny because the swim was actually the easiest sport for me that day out of the 3. crazy right? maybe it was the morning adrenaline but it wasn't as scary as i thought. i think all our training sessions swimming at the lakes & the bays helped A LOT! so yay to conquering my fear of open water swims in LAKES & BAYS!!! haha oceans are still another thing i need to tackle. thought i still feel like the wetsuit makes me feel like superwoman bc i know it'll always keep me afloat. hehe without it, well i might just freak out all over again. 

i wasn't the fastest one in our wave, but i wasn't the slowest either. hehe so that's just fine with me. just so happy i finished it! rounding that last bouy and being able to see the exit ramp and hearing the crowd cheer us all on just brought a huge smile to my face. gave me that burst of energy i needed to finish up the swim. and off i went running to take off my wetsuit and run to...Transition 1 (swim-bike changing). imagine picture below full of bikes on the racks and all the bike/run gear below our bikes.

my transition stuff is on the left, and hubby's is on the right..ooooh matching white towels..hahah

this area was so so crowded! well now.. when i got to T1 i was so happy that my bike wasn't the last on the rack bc that meant i wasn't the slowest..hahah. but i think i spent way too much time talking w/ another 1st time triathlete that our transition time was super slow. coach would be so disappointed..hehehe. 

and off we went to the bike course. 2 loops around the island (a little over 9 miles total, not too bad right?). i think i took it too slow on the first loop because i was just trying to get into the groove of things. by the second loop i increased my speed..but oh man..with about a mile to go i was so uncomfortable. hahah it might be tmi..but i need a new saddle dude!! this stock one on my bike is not comfortable anymore...not so friendly to my lady parts! hahahah..hahhah...so umm yeah, note to self..time to test out new bike saddles. finished the bike and it was back to the transition area for T2 (bike-run transition). was a little faster here but so hard to put my running socks on bc my feet were still a little damp from the swim. the bike was pretty short and it was kinda windy so my feet didn't dry in my shoes like i had hoped. oh well. off to the run we go (no pic of the run, but part of it was next to the bike course like the above pic). 

oh man...i was SO SO disappointed in my run. i think i took this last sport for granted in my training just because i felt like i already had a good running background. man, being a runner is one thing..but having to combine it after swimming and biking is a whole new world. i was so worried about the swim that i'd sometimes replace my run workouts/brick workouts with the swim instead. so i was really prepared for the swim, boo but not the run. it was a 5k (3.1mi) run and man, that first mile my legs felt like bricks. ha, hence the term brick workout (having back to back training w/ 2 sports)...never put that together until lou pointed it out. you do back to back workouts to get used to that "brick" feeling. and well, i'd do a lot of bike/swim or some swim/run workouts..but not bike/run. big difference for me i think as these two use the most energy from my legs. 

i was seriously hating the run during that first mile. those thoughts of "why am i doing this?" " what the heck was i thinking???" were constantly ringing in my head. then i got quite humbled when i saw people in waves after mine passing me on the run (you can get body marked on your arms/legs where they write your age on your calf. coach likes to say that it's a little motivational thing to see where you are in the race. if you pass people who are younger than you you feel great, haha and if people who are older than you pass by well then you feel humbled=P). so you could say i was getting extremely humbled and bummed that the run was feeling hard and my muscles were tightening on me. and then after the first loop, hearing someone in the crowd yell "good job young lady, keep going!!" as i turned the corner gave me another boost of energy. 

and well off i went on the second half of the run. a bit refreshed after having to take a minute to stretch out. and on that last turn i heard the announcer yell for all first time triathletes to raise their arms so they know who we are and they can cheer us in. so i proudly raised my arms with a huge ass smile and sprinted towards the finish line. and after crossing the line i saw hubby waiting for me on the side to greet me=), loved that!! the whole race just went by in a blur, it was so fast...but i did it, yahoo! got to have a nice lunch afterwards with the fam & jenn-tot's fam at extraordinary desserts to celebrate. so so blessed to have such supportive family & friends who kept encouraging me during my training. thank you thank you!!!!

hehe so yeah, i think i want to try another one=P. still in training mode these days..so we'll see how it goes. maybe a farther distance this time. i've doubled my swim distance, need to get a new bike saddle, and i'm trying to be better with my run trainings! 

i'll end with this sexxay picture of my salted sweaty tri-shorts. hehe did i motivate you know to do a tri? do iiiiiit.=)

It's always the challenge of the future, this feeling of excitement, that drives me.
-Yoshihisa Tabuchi


ahhhhhhhhhhhh the tri's already this weekend!!! where has the time gone? i swear it feels like just a few days ago when i changed my blog title=P. i'm a bunch of nerves right now. well i've been like this ever since i got my confirmation email 2 weeks ago. oh goodness, what's wrong with me. i don't think my nerves have ever been this bad. i was nervous for the marathon, but i don't think i got this anxious, squeamish feeling like i have now. as i type, my stomach's already starting to jump and i can feel my heart racing. calm down...breathe...it'll be fun!

since i don't own a wetsuit, i borrowed one for the week from one of our tri group's sister store. figured i might as well be comfortable in the same wetsuit brand that i trained the past 3 lake swims in. man..i'm so freaked about the bay swim that i took a vacation day on wednesday just to practice open water swimming around long beach. hubby was nice enough to take the day off with me and help me get through it. you'd think that after 3 lake swims i'd be comfortable right? wrong. once we got into the bay my heart was pounding, my arms started feeling really tight in the wetsuit, and i wanted to just run out of the water already! haha, what a wuss=/.

so, after about 10-15 mins of just trying to get my breathing steady under water and getting acclimated to the cold water i finally got the cahones to go the 1/4 mile out. husby would wait for me after every buoy so it was good practice for my sighting to swim straight, but it was also a HUGE help in relieving my panicky mood. and it is true, the wetsuit keeps you afloat. though i know this, i still panic. but i got through the first practice run! and after a minute of resting, we swam our way back for another 1/4 mile. yay! haha i think hubs was more excited for it than i was-he was so proud of me=). i was relieved i got through it, and yeah i was happy i swam it all..but i just kept getting the nagging feeling that well..i only got through it bc i knew lou was watching out for me the whole time. come sunday, he'll be in a totally different wave time than me.=(. haha i'm such a baby! but really, my fear for open water is bad. and i'm grateful for these practice swims w/ hubby to get me used to the feeling. after work today we'll have one more trip to LB again to swim w/ the wetsuit. time to suck it up.

i'm so excited! i'm so scared! hahahha...LET'S DO THIS!!!

here goes recipe #3. one of my favs from miss giada. so easy to make and mighty tasty.

Fusili w/ Spinach and Asiago cheese

Ingredients

• 1 pound fusilli pasta - to get a little bit of healthy added too, i usually use the barilla PLUS pasta which has protein, omega 3's (gotta get your omega 3's!!), & fiber. but any fusilli pasta tastes great w/ this dish=).
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced - well you should know i love me my garlic, so i always add an extra clove or two..
• 1 (9-ounce) bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped - it may look like a lot of spinach, but y'know greens wilt up fast! so i add an extra bag for more veggies.
• 8 ounces (1/2 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved - since i'm usually shopping at costco, they don't always carry cherry tomatoes. i've substituted grape tomatoes and it still turns out yummy!
• 1 cup (about 3 1/2-ounces) grated Asiago -nothing wrong w/ adding a little more cheese too if you want. but if i add more cheese than i save a little more of the cooking liquid (mentioned in directions below) too just to balance things out 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

-sometimes i add strips of grilled chicken to the pasta. just lightly seasoned w/ olive oil, garlic powder, salt, & pepper. yum yum!

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 more minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add the cheeses, salt, pepper, and the pasta cooking liquid and stir to combine.

Transfer the pasta to a serving plate and serve. (serves 4)

Enjoy!!!