This is the proverbial question that is always asked when you get back to life after summer. I was always afraid my answer would be "nothing", so I think I've over-compensated as a mother and try to do too much. Well this summer we did not go on vacation (except for Ragbrai) and decided to just enjoy DSM. Well we did...we went swimming at all the aquatic centers, went to the zoo, the science center, raccoon river beach and Grey's lake beach, dozens of park picnic lunches and a few other fun places.
We started off the summer training like mad for the Hy-Vee triathlon. My husband, Jason has done the swim portion of the tri the last 3 years, and I was training for the bike portion and Ragbrai. My husband and I have both done sprint triathlons before, but the Hy-Vee triathlon is a longer one. Jason had to swim a mile, and I had to bike 26 miles. Hats off to my hubby...he trained well and had a great time. Even though I do get points for doing it, I did not train as well as I could have and the time was not the best, but, I find comfort in knowing I did Deb Paul's best that day! :)Racing in a triathlon on a bike is VERY different than chit chatting with friends riding on Ragbrai. It was wicked hard! My sis in law, Jen Paul, was our runner, and boy is she fast. She ran through college and is a track coach. Her husband, Jeff Paul, ran with the elites and had already finished the bike and 10K run before she even started her portion (WOW...Jeff got 18th place!!!) He told her to count how many people she passed in the run....she counted up to 296!!!!!! I told her that was good because only 295 passed me on the bike, so we were still up by one! :)
The real great thing about the TRi was that my 7 year old son, Ryan did the kids triathlon the day before. He was awesome! He worked so hard training and both Jason and I trained with him...swimming, biking and running. I was very proud of him, he was proud of himself and he's excited to do it again next year. I wish I had the opportunity to do that as a child!
We got to go to Adventureland 2 times, once with my fam and once with Jason's fam. My twins are big enough to go on all the rides now...and I think they did go on every single ride!! I still don't know why I always loved the silly silo..that ride is excruciating!
I did get to help out with our two Vacation bible Schools and our Fine Arts Camp. What a rewarding experience! Showing kids the joy in making music for God and glorifying Him through our talents and our voices. What a privilege to work with such great volunteers and kids!
But the highlight of my summer was Ragbrai! I have done the entire week before (2006) but this year I got to do the 1st 3 days. I was lucky enough to ride in an RV (my sis in laws) and sleep in a bed and have a shower and bathroom. Aside from a little rain, the weather was great (not too hot) and the company was great. My husband's family from the Quad cities...His brothers, Justin and Josh and their wives. Jason was home in DSM with the kids (God Bless Him) and I got to be with his family. Bare Naked Ladies was in concert for the Ragbraiers and I got to share the road with about 20,000 other riders. With my special Ragbrai mix on my ipod I was rip raring to go. I was slow and steady up hills, but my big bootie gave me tremendous speed down every hill. I ate pie and felt I had the TRUE Ragbrai experience this year knowing I had some time to rest when I returned to DSM. Even a day is worth it...I recommend it for all!
The mantra for this summer was "Enjoy every minute" The family God has given me is such a blessing and I savored them like a fine steak this summer! Even when i was hot and sweaty and tired and my 4 year old was whining to have me carry her at Adventureland, I still managed to savor it...I am so blessed..THANK YOU GOD!
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