Out of the...

... TREES!

The tree house vacation easily ranks as the top family vacation we've had in the almost 13 years of marriage! Essentially, it's like living on a hippie compound without the hallucinogens! We stayed in the Swiss Family treehouse which had a lower deck with a rope bridge over to the kid's bunk room. Above that was the "suite" where K and I slept. Waking up in the morning, looking out the open windows through the branches of this magnificent oak tree was incredible! During the days... we just hung out! It was one of those places where you could just let the kids go and explore... with minimal supervision... and they could just play... just be out in nature and play! Imagine. Be kids. There were other families staying in other treehouses so there was no shortage of other rug-rats for them to hang with. So amazing! In addition to a lot of "hangout" time... there were also activities like horseback riding and zip-lining to be done! You guys should have seen Tom on those zip-lines! TOTALLY fearless! Really fun to watch him just go for it. Jack on the other hand was scared out of his WITS! That was a good bonding moment for he and I... we got him through some really tough spots together... and he did the ENTIRE course despite his sometimes overwhelming fear of heights! That's my BOY! Lila and Kathryn opted for the horseback riding... which didn't float my boat but they had an incredible time! SO... to sum it up... that time with my family was invaluable... and won't soon be forgotten. We'll be going back... I guarantee it.

Training-wise? I think I'm fat. Ba Ha HA! Isn't that laughable? Not so much in body... but mentally... I'm totally fat. Its really weird. I have acne, I feel ugly and fat, and I'm a bit cranky at times... yes... just like PMS. It's perfect timing for me to feel like that... because I also feel like starting to train again. I'm hungry. I emaild Liz the other night and my heart was literally racing... I'm excited to get going! So. Essentially, starting next Tuesday, I'll be entering a 3 month build to the World Championships 70.3 in November! I'm thrilled! Speaking of that race... is there anyone out there that wants to travel with me? Sally! is coming with me for SURE... if anyone else is interested... lemme know!

Enjoy some pictures from out treehouse extrazaganza!

Bah ha HA! Kathryn and Jack couldn't resist taking at least ONE "horses ass" picture!

Thanks for reading! Hope you're all happy and healthy! Stay tuned... train begins next Tuesday!

Breathe...