…Diggity and I officially became Mr. and Mrs. Schroder!
With our family and friends at our side…
…we said our vows…
…and we exchanged rings…
…and we promised to be there for each other and LOVE each other - through sickness and health, during the good times and the bad, through thick and thin, for all the days we shall live.
We had bubbles blown in our honor…
…and stole lots and lots of kisses…
…and even got into a little food fight!
It started innocently…
…and turned into this…
…and then this…
…and ended in this!
But we made up during our first dance as Husband and Wife…
(While we were still covered in frosting!!)
Our life together has been a whirlwind – it’s hard to believe it’s already been five years…
…but at the same time it’s hard to believe it’s been only five years because of how wonderful the years have been!
Happy Anniversary Ryan! I Love You with ALL of My Heart!
This week my training schedule is a bit… “off”…but not necessarily in a bad way.
You see, last week’s 15-mile bike ride – scheduled for Sunday – was pushed to Monday due to a thunderstorm.
So I needed to readjust my training calendar for my last week in the 5 Weeks of Labor Challenge. Basically, I’m taking out 2 workouts and adding a 5k race
Here’s how the week looks right now:
Monday consisted of a 13 mile bike ride before work. Ended up having to cut my scheduled 15-miler short so I wasn’t late for work! It was a glorious 13 miles with low humidity – a small sign that fall just might be on its way. (Or a sign that a storm is brewin’ out there in the tropics…)
Tuesday was a rest day. My favorite day of the week 
Wednesday was, of course, 6pm spin! (My favorite workout!) My only comment about this workout: standing sprints are f-ing HARD. But I’m getting better at them.
To finish off the week I’ve scheduled the following for myself:
Tonight (Thursday): YOGA care of an on-demand video from Fios
Friday: AM Brick Workout. 30 min bike ride followed by 30 min pounding the pavement.
Saturday: I may check out a group run as part of a training program that my spin instructor is hosting. I’m 100% undecided about this right now though & can’t decide if it’s going to be for me. But it’s probably worth checking out. Then I’ll do either a mini-tour on Larry Long Haul or an open water swim. Probably the mini-tour.
Sunday: TBA – whichever one I don’t do on Saturday.
Monday: Canes Cross Country Classic 5k Race!
Diggity and I have done this race many time now – it’s really fun and close to home and we ride our bikes to the start!
You may have noticed that I don’t have a pool swim in there this week, nor do I have an interval run scheduled.
I don’t really have a reason for the missed swim. It’s certainly NOT because the pool looked like this:
It’s really becaue was lazy on Wednesday morning and didn’t get up before work to fit it in. Bad Eggplant.
The intervals were taken out due to another pathetic excuse: I still don’t have Garmie back from the repair shop & don’t like doing intervals without him.
While I will admit I am slacking off on my self-imposed challenge, I don’t think this week (or last week) will change the outcome of my overall training. I am still ROCKING my workouts, and I’m doing A LOT more than I was a month ago. That’s good enough for me.
Anyhoo – hope everyone is gearing up for a nice LONG WEEKEND!!! I know I am!
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Oooohhhh! Before I forget: Tune in tomorrow for an extra special post!
Wow – I can’t believe I just wrapped up my 4th week in the 5 Weeks of Labor challenge! (Miss weeks 1, 2 or 3?)
This was a challenging week for me – my body was begging for rest all week long. I’ll admit I missed two workouts (intervals and yoga) – but I’m glad I listened to my body and took it easy. I’d rather be a little off track during my challenge instead of injured before my triathlon.
Monday was a scheduled rest day – as per usual. 
Tuesday turned into day 2 of rest. My legs were feeling pretty beat up and I decided it was more important to rest than to force myself to complete another workout.
My first swim of the week took place on Wednesday morning. I swam 500 yards at the YMCA. I was still feeling a little sluggish in the water & ended up doing a couple laps of backstroke instead of all freestyle. On a happy note, I am doing really well breathing to the left!
(that’s not me – clearly)
After work I went to my usual 6pm spin class. Once again it was hill climb Wednesday! I really think I like hill climbs much more than sprints – although I do like the challenge of sprints!
Thursday morning I ran before work. I was out there for 40 min. According to MapMyRun I went 3.38 miles for an average of 11:50 per mile. (Garmie is still in the shop 
So that’s an estimate.) I’m less than excited about a near-12 min/mile pace. But I guess it’s not all that bad considering it was less than 12 hours after spin class.
Friday turned into another unscheduled rest day. Diggity and I went to dinner with Tamika – then we may or may not have gotten ice cream…
I started Saturday morning with a reverse brick. It started with a 5k with Diggity and Tam. It was really nice to have a group run for a change! When we were done running I hopped on Red Beard for a 30 min ride. It was SO different to run then bike! My legs are definitely used to bike then run.
Sunday started with a fabulous Spanish omelet at Cafe on the Beach, a great little…cafe…on the beach… I noticed the water was ultra calm & knew it would be another open water swim day!
I decided to be a brave little fishy and wore my bright orange swim cap! (I have an irrational fear that a shark is going to think I’m some kind of tropical fish and take a bite out of my noggin…)
I came out of the water 600 yards later with my scalp fully in tact. Then it was time to soak up the sun!
I’m paying for that today though – my back is a little red…as is my forehead.
Yes, I’m rockin the swim-cap tan line! You know you want one!
Then it rained – hard.
So my 15 mile bike ride was reschedule for Monday morning. (A slight break of my challenge rules…but a necessary one…)
There you have it! Week 4 all summed up.
Biggest lesson learned: When your body yells “Whoa Nelly!”, pull back on the reins and slow down a little. You’ll regret it if you don’t.
I seriously feel like I’ve got no gas in my tank this week.
And as a result, my workouts have been less than stellar.
I’m running slower, swimming slower (and doing lots of backstroke) and riding slower.
As of right now (Saturday @ 9:30am) I have 2 workouts to make up: intervals and yoga.
Quite frankly, I probably won’t do the intervals. But I can squeeze in a yoga video.
My legs are tired and feel like cement blocks.
One missed interval workout won’t kill me, right? All of my other workouts have been completed – just with a little less intensity than usual.
One lesson I’ve learned so far during my 5 Weeks of Labor Challenge is: listen to your body.
If you really feel exhausted and sore, take it easy. Don’t over do it.
I don’t want to get injured – or burnt out – so I’m taking it easy this week.
And I’m OK with that.
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On a mushy note – I’d like to say Thank You again for all of the support on my last post. You all really helped make the day easier for me.
And as much as it was therapeutic for ME to publish that post, I think it may have also been therapeutic for lots of other people out there that knew dad and for people that have gone through similar losses. I’m certainly not the only one missing my Dad, and sadly, not the only one that has lost a parent.
I can’t thank you enough for giving me a shoulder to lean on – and for reminding me that remembering the good times is a great way to honor my Dad’s memory.
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And since so many of you have asked – I will definitely post the story of how I met Diggity. Sometimes I still can’t believe it myself!
Stay tuned!
Six years ago today I lost my father.
It was only four weeks after I moved to FL and was finally in the same state (and city!) as him in more than 12 years. I had such high hopes for a new relationship with my father as I started my life with Diggity. (He introduced us after all!) But sadly none of that came to be.
No one expected his death. But does anyone ever expect someone to die? I thank my lucky stars Diggity was here to help me get through it. I was a train wreck for months.
Dad wasn’t sick - but he wasn’t healthy by any means.
He died because of a blod clot that went to his lung (pulmonary embolism). We were in the car on the way to the hospital because he didn’t feel well. Diggity was driving and Dad was in the passenger seat. I was in the back seat. It happened about 2 blocks from the house. His house at the time, my house now. It was the scariest moment of my life.
But instead of focusing on the negative side of things, I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite pictures of my Dad, fondly remembered as Big Al.
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Dad, me and my big brother Albert. I don’t remember this day – but I bet if I did it would be one of my favorites.
Dad and my little sister Tammy. I love his hair in this picture.
My high school graduation. He drove up to PA from FL for this – and cheered really loudly when I got my diploma. I loved every second of it.
(Lets try to ignore my bushy eyebrows and lazy-appearing eye.)
He did the same thing when I graduated from college – I was embarrassed that time though.
He LOVED fishing. And insisted that everyone baits their own hook. This is why I DON’T love fishing.
He loved his daughters even when we were uncomfortable in hot dresses at our brother’s wedding…
…and in our awkward stage…(that may or may not have lasted from age 8 til age 17)…
…and when we wore overalls with bowl-cuts. (Sorry Tam – I couldn’t resist!)
He was forever proud of his son.
He loved his grandson Riley (my brother’s son) more than life itself.
(He died when Abbie, my brother’s daughter, was only a month old, so no pictures of them together)
He was a fun guy who was always willing to put himself “out there”.
He was proud of everything he had – even if it wasn’t much in comparison to others – because he worked hard for all of it.
This one is 100% my favorite picture of Dad. I don’t know what it is about it specifically. He just looks content. This is the man I picture whenever I think about my father.
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Not a day goes by where I don’t think about Dad at least once.
I wonder what out life would be like if he were still alive. Where would I live? Would we still go to dinner on Sunday nights for Fish’n'Chips at Rotten Ralph’s? (He did that every week with Diggity before I moved here. I got to tag along the last 3 weeks.)
I wish he was there when Diggity and I got married. But part of me thinks (or hopes?) that he was there.
I wish he could meet the children Diggity and I will have someday. And I wish he got to see the wonderful children Riley and Abbie have become.
I wish he was still here. But since he’s not, I will remember him with a smile on my face and know that he loved me until the moment he left this earth.
I Love You Dad. I always will.
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