TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK, TICK....

3 days and 11 hours until my triathlon...

Don't believe me? Check here....

http://www.aquatriathlon.com/

Seeing the countdown clock kind of makes my stomach drop.

BMX PROS at Powder Mountain

I had the awesome opportunity to work with 50/50 BMX this past weekend. They had a great event up at Powder Mountain Ski Resort that included a large motocross race as well.

These Pro BMXers went out BIG! They pulled some truly amazing tricks, the kind that make you "woot" reflexively.

Unfortunately with those big tricks also come big crashes.... they sure did keep us busy!!

Closed up well, don't you think??

My family was able to come and enjoy the event as well. Thank goodness they were there! We were so busy we needed some help babysitting a bad head injury that occurred that day. Winter babysat Ben for us and was sooo helpful!! Now they are BFFs.

You know it's a good day when you have little guys like this running around.... where else do you see dogs in sunglasses??? Why BMX of course!!

I always love getting to work with extreme sports guys and this was no exception. See ya all next time!!

You may call me Professor

Classes start at Westminster College next week and I'm almost ready for them, all three of them.

All three syllabus are done and added to the class forums. Schedules are made. Quizzes are written (except for one). Class plans are done.

I have a few more things to iron out, one quiz to write and a key code to figure out....

But other than that I'm ready to go! I'm feeling MUCH better than I was earlier today when I realized how much I had to do to get ready for these classes. With another marathon planning/prep session I should be ready for this semester.

On another positive note, I just found out one of my most favorite students ever is enrolled in one of my classes. Happy happy joy joy!

My first commute

It's here!! And put together!! And everything is working great!!

I took it on my first commute to work tonight - 6 miles in 25 minutes... not bad!!

My awesome friend DJ put it together for me. His wife, Becky, helped me get it to fit in the car (I need a bike rack... = $$$$). The customer service guy talked me through shifting and I even put on my chain after I managed to knock it off.... I would say that's an overall success!!

I got a late start headed to work tonight, but I made fantastic time!! And here's the kicker.... I'm not even sore, my fancy padded bike shorts are working!!

My shoes are tight, but my feet will get used to being locked in. My outfit is super cute. My shoes actually match my bike (style points!). My helmet fits. And here's the kicker.... I'm learning how to pack light since I have to carry it all in my backpack for 6 miles one way - I left the huge luggage-purse at home!

My shoes that I bought off e-bay (screaming deal!!) already came with the cleats I needed to fit my pedals.... another lucky break!

I think me and this road bike were meant to be.

I mean seriously, it's been too easy! I even learned how to clip into my pedals (and get out) in less than three minutes! I'm a pro! (I will take that back after my first crash, I'm sure.)

I'm pretty stoked about riding to work tonight..... although, I'm betting I'm not going to be that stoked when I have to ride home at 6:30 in the morning. :)

Juggling

You know the analogy of "keeping many balls in the air" when it comes to multitasking?? Well, sometimes I feel like I'm rather guiding them to the ground in a place where they should be as they fall at varying speeds past my face.

Thank goodness I have my awesome family who supports me. They are always willing to look at houses, run races, etc etc.... and they are always willing to crash on the couch with the puppies and catch up on DVR shows.

Today (and the past couple days and the many days to follow) I have A LOT of balls I'm trying to guide around here.

They are as follows, in no particular order of importance:

• Work at LIFEFLIGHT -- busy!! Four shifts a week (yes, that is overtime) and I was just added to a committee that is working on a big policy change... which means, ANOTHER MEETING EVERY WEEK!!
• ATHLETIC TRAINING at the College -- I have three sports this fall alone, not to mention two more in the winter. We are in the middle of physicals and pre-season stuff. I am making sure I'm available for games and practices 5-6 times a week.
• TEACHING at the College - This year I am incredibly blessed to start teaching, it's something I've wanted to do for years now. I have two courses that I am teaching fall semester and another group exercise class - water aerobics!! I'm writing syllabus, course outlines, composing playlists for workouts, class rosters, etc. I'm learning as I'm going!! Stressful, but exciting!
• Random athletic events.... I always work random events throughout the year and coming up in the next month is an exciting Professional MOTOCROSS AND BMX competition at Powder Mountain Ski Resort. Come on up, it's going to be FUN!! We also have the Dew Tour coming soon. Lots of extreme action sports! Bring on the crashes!! Not to mention these are always an awesome awesome atmosphere.
• TRAINING FOR THIS SPRINT TRIATHLON!! My bike just showed up yesterday and my awesome friend is putting it together today. I'm excited to get on and give it a spin. I'm trying to fit in the bike/run/swim training schedule, at least one of those every single day. It's hard to get my butt out there, but once I do if feels wonderful. The fear of getting absolutely murdered on this triathlon course is keeping me semi-motivated.
• FOOD AND EATING. We have switched to a 100% plant based diet; and while I admit that I stray off plan a few times a week, the rest of it takes a lot of time!! Shopping and prepping all this food takes a lot of time and effort. I am loving it, but it's work!
• DANCE!!! I am taking a modern class every week that I LOVE, I know you have heard be talking about it. I also found an adult tap class that starts in September! The miracle is that it actually works with my weekly schedule!! The fact that I will soon be dancing two times a week just makes me shreek with joy!
• Why do all the annual checkups/dentist appointments/etc all come at the same time of year?? I need to shift those by a few months... remind me of that. Also, my hip is giving me issues when I run and it's starting to worry me. I'm going in for a bit of extra help with it this coming week, but it's really putting a kink in my stride, literally!! It's a stress, but more something nagging... I'll quit complaining now. :)
• HOUSE SHOPPING/REMODELING -- Ok, I started browsing for houses and completely accidentally stumbled upon one that I really like. Well, I've signed an offer for it and now it's a waiting game to see if we can pull this off. The thing is, this house needs A LOT of work. It's all cosmetic, but it's still going to make life INSANE if I am blessed with getting this house. There is no doubt that this home could be my DREAM HOME, but it's going to be a steep uphill battle to get there. Either way, I'm proud of the fact that I will own two homes shortly, I'm starting my real estate empire, just like I've always wanted.
• I've taken on the challenge of planning a family reunion next summer. COMPLICATED!! Trying to find dates, get hotels, etc... Hopefully we can figure out dates soon, then the rest of the planning can start! I'm excited to see everyone. We've never had a Reed family reunion, so this will be great.
• Business stuff - That's the best way to put it. Still chasing paperwork to deal with someone else's lack of ability to be an upstanding adult. It's taking a lot of time, effort and money, but hopefully it will pay off soon (literally).
• HAVING A SOCIAL LIFE-- This shouldn't be at the bottom of the list. Honestly, I'm doing a lot of fun things lately. My friends are awesome and we are having fun!! Running 5Ks, a new road/trail combo 8k run a week from today! Bonfires, backyard BBQs, hikes, concerts, camping, movies, etc, etc. I love my friends!
• AND THEN THERE IS THAT FUN THING CALLED DATING. :)

New Project??

 I've been house hunting, again. I enjoy it, but it also makes my mind go crazy.... so many houses with so much potential!!

I went and walked around one last night and it pulled at my heart (and mind) a bit. It has good bones!!! There is so much that could be done with it. I sent a text to my realtor and told her I wanted to walk through ASAP.

Now all morning I have been looking at ridiculously expensive homes to get ideas on remodels/transformations.

So, the question lies....

CAN I TURN THIS

AND THIS

INTO THIS???

HOW ABOUT THIS

INTO THIS

AND THIS??