6:09:04

Luis finished his first half ironman in six hours and nine minutes. He's awesome. And he's already looking into ironman races for next year...

My photos from the event can be seen here.

We had a nice trip to British Columbia. The Canadian Rockies are breathtaking. I met a couple of nice racers and a lovely trio of Canada geese. We realized on the drive home yesterday that since we've lived in Montana, we've entered Canada through three different ports. Perhaps it's worth hanging on to all the Canadian money we've accumulated, after all - we appear to visit with some regularity.

I think you're crazy...

Tomorrow morning we leave (at 6:00 am - ugh) for Cranbrook, British Columbia, where Luis will compete in a Half-Ironman triathlon. I'm excited for him, as well as astonished and proud. Very few people could do what he's going to do. For those of you who aren't familiar with the sport, a triathlon comprises three events: swimming, bicycling, and running. The components are done one after another, and the event is timed as a whole from the beginning of the swim to the finish line of the run. The distances for a Half-Ironman are a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and then a 13.1 mile run. Sounds nuts to me, but he loves it.

Yay Luis! Love you baby!

busy being lazy

*I just found this entry saved as a draft, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it...*

They say that if you need something done, ask a busy person to do it. The reverse also appears to be true - I have nothing going on, and I am getting nothing done. (Including blogging.) So once again I subject you to a boring rundown of the past few days in my world...

Last week I filled in at the office where I worked when I first moved to Missoula. It was nice to catch up with the gals again. Good people. On Saturday I went to a toga party. It was fun, but I went mostly because I love to dress up. On Sunday we floated the Blackfoot River. Western Montana has finally felt the heat the rest of the country has been suffering, and our weekend temperatures were in the low 100's. The river was packed with people. I don't think I've ever seen so many inner tubes in one place. In the rapids it was somewhat like bumper cars. All kinds of tubes spilling over the rocks. It was a great time.

Happiness is...

fresh watermelon
family
rainy days with a book and nowhere to be
skinny jeans that fit, even fresh out of the dryer
catching up with old friends
making new friends
laughing for so long you can't remember why you started
summer at dusk, when a cool breeze cuts through the dense, warm air
mint chocolate chip ice cream
dipping your feet into a freezing cold mountain stream
hearing a old favorite song you haven't thought about in ages
the smell of crisp leaves on a warm fall day
an early morning run
drinking cheap beer on the river with friends
old photographs

feeling content with the world

I still love you.

Well, hello! Sorry about the lack of posting recently - it's been a hectic past couple of weeks. Between picking up lots of extra hours at work and having a visitor from out-of-town, I haven't had much spare time. (And when I have, I've been a complete bum.)

My best friend Erica was in town this past weekend. She was only here for a couple of days, but we made the most of our time. On Thursday night we went to Downtown Tonight, a weekly festival at Caras park which features local bands and foods. Friday we biked downtown from my apartment for breakfast and some shopping. That afternoon we floated the Blackfoot river. We came home and recovered while watching Pride and Prejudice (she hadn't seen the movie version yet), then went downtown for drinks and late-night grub at the Ox. On Saturday we hit the farmer's market, did a little more shopping, then went on a nice hike down the Bitterroot valley. We went out for dinner that night and then came home, so she could reluctantly pack up and head back to the (insanely hot, steamy) midwest. This was her third trip to Missoula in the three years I've lived here. Hooray for good friends!

My old cell phone broke in half last week, so I had to replace it. Boo for purchasing a phone before your scheduled upgrade! Cell phone companies totally screw their loyal customers, and I'm pretty sure they are the only ones who do that. Anyhow, my new phone takes pictures and plays real songs instead of midi files for ringtones. Not necessary features as far as I can tell, but fun to play with.

Well, I have to work in the morning, so off to bed I go.

One hundred.

This is my one-hundredth post. I wanted it to be special, but I got nothin'. Sorry...


On to other random bits of news:

• Summer school is officially over! This last week has been a whirlwind of finals and last-minute papers. (Thus explaineth the lack of posting...eth. Or something.)
• We floated the Blackfoot on Wednesday, and after about twenty minutes of delicious sunshine it clouded over and sprinkled on us. Brrr. Still, time on the river is time on the river. And I didn't get chucked out of my tube on the rapids this time, so that's a plus.
• Luis is home! Hooray!
• Fourth of July was nice. Luis and I went for a run (I did five miles, but he kept on for a total of nine. He's nuts.), then we went down to the pool to cool off. We cooked burgers out on our little grill for dinner, and went up to the elementary school in the south hills to watch the city fireworks display. It was a lovely day.
• I've been filling in on the internal medicine floor of the clinic the past couple of weeks. I'd never worked there before, but I really like it. Most clients in internal medicine are older, and they're fun to work with. I really love the sassy old ladies - the ones who didn't get the memo that eighty-year-olds don't usually cuss like bikers or wear baseball caps. I hope I have that much spunk left in me in another half a century...
• I got a green plaid strapless sundress. It's cute. (My friend Michelle from Kansas has the same dress - we have several identical pieces in our wardrobes, actually. Great minds, I guess...) Anyhow, I accidentally won it on ebay - no, don't look at me like that, I know I'm not the only person who's done it! I got carried away while bidding, because every time I entered an amount I immediately got outbid. I only spent .50 more than my original cutoff, though, so it's okay.
• Why is there no key for the ¢ on the keyboard? Hm.
• Luis is working on some new music for his fall recital. It's going to be amazing - he's picked some really great pieces. I gotta say that there are worse things in the world than living with a classical guitarist. :)
• My little brother Ricky just turned fourteen. He looks like a teenager, too. It's wild.
• Tomorrow we're seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and on Sunday we're planning a float trip with some friends. A good weekend. And no homework!

Life is wonderful.