Happy Halloween 2006

At the Best house we love to give out the “BIG” candy bars and we all get a major kick out of watching all the cool, sweet and funny reactions of the kids when they see “the BIG bar”!!!!!!

We conducted our own Trick or Treater costume contest and I thought you might like to see the top three winners for this year……………

Third Place Winners: The Douglass clan

Second Place Winners: Neighborhood girls

First Place Winner: Emma Seppa Thompson as Eyore

You might think its corny but it really is a JOY thing for the Best Family and we think a fun way to see Halloween in a positive light………………..

Sunday Starbucks Swim 10-29-06

Today was one of my favorite Starbucks swims! Maybe it was because my Frontal Right brain loves change or maybe because I learned some techniques to improve my swim.


Today we met at the New Starbuck’s at Wandermere. We had a small group today, Kevin, me, Roger, Jessi and Natalie. We were enjoying our coffee and conversation as we watched it raining outside and were thankful that for the first time of the season our swim was going to be inside.


Because we live in a region with 4 distinct seasons, to train for Triathlon year round requires lots of changes of venues and clothing. Two weeks ago we were braving the freezing waters of Medical Lake and last week we were doing our Starbucks swim in the beautiful tropical waters of Hawaii and now this week, with rain and 34 degree temperatures our traditional Sunday morning Starbuck’s swim moved inside where we took over the 24 hour Fitness pool.

Kevin and I had to run home to get his Polar Watch after Starbucks so we were the last ones to arrive at 24 hour Fitness. By the time Kevin and I checked in at the desk, the guy working the desk says: “o.k. I have to ask, what is with all these cool jackets?” I immediately spin around so he can see the back Logo and Kevin tells him it is a new Triathlon Club that is launching Nov. 8th!! And he says wow, that sounds really great and we are like Ya it is!

We had 2 lanes to ourselves and all jumped in and started our workouts. The pool temperature was perfect. We did our warm ups, our drills, our base sets and then it started. I saw Jessi ask Roger one question and all of the sudden the next hour was filled with incredible instruction.

We were all excited and were lining up anxiously to have Roger watch us swim and give us a constructive critique. It was awesome, and another reminder to me of how cool it is going to be when our club Tri-Fusion gets launched and we have all these group activities. We will not only be blessed having the fellowship of others who love Triathlon but the benefit of having others with much more experience than ourselves willing to offering instruction, helpful training tips and valuable wisdom.

Thank you Roger, that instruction was the highlight of my Starbucks swim today!!!!!!!!!

Hard Core Cycling

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! Today was my first “COLD” weather bike ride. Our Tri-Fusion Club President, Roger Thompson, extended an invitation to the Board of Directors (Tri-Fusion is a Triathlon Club that we have spent the last several months forming and will officially launch on November 8th.) to join him on his first “easy” recovery ride since his Ironman World Championships Finish in Kona, Hawaii last Saturday. Roger challenged some of us girls and oldies to join him saying this would be a great opportunity to actually be able to ride with him and stay together as a group. Kevin and I took the bait. Sounded like fun to us.

The ride was to take place at 8am Saturday morning, we were to meet at the Fairwood shopping center just off of Hastings and the ride would be 2 hours long. Kevin and I got our winter clothes boxes out and decided to lay our clothes out Friday night. Saturday morning when we arose, the temperature on our front porch thermometer read 32 degrees!!! We both started getting out another layer of clothing from our boxes. Kevin brilliantly says to me “Honey, today is the day that we discover what kind of gear we really need to ride in these conditions!”

Kevin and I got dressed in the first layer, loaded up the van and drove to Fairwood, which is only ¾ of a mile from our house, but we wanted to be able to take the camera for pictures, so we drove. Everyone was there and they were all putting on their many layers. Among us all we had every kind of warm cover they make from, gloves, shoe covers, skull caps, beanies, neck warmers, face protectors, leg warmers, arm warmers, etc.By 8:30am we were riding away from our parking lot. We would be riding out Peone Road to Mt Spokane. It was now 34 degrees and foggy outside, not sure what temperature it was for our bodies if you figure out the wind chill factor at 15 to 20 mph. All I know is, that I was so cold the first 30 minutes of the ride I considered turning back several times. The moisture from the fog was freezing on my glasses so I had to take those off. My feet and hands were freezing. My fingers were so cold and numb they were burning. I was literally afraid of frost bite and Kevin and I had an 11:30am couples massage scheduled!! So, for the first 30 minutes I rode with one hand and rotated placing one of my hands in the pocket on my cycling jacket to get it next to my body for warmth. Jessi actually suggested that I increase my effort to try to get my heart rate higher to help get my blood pumping through my extremities. So I decided to go to the front with Sam and step it up, and it worked!!!! Now I wouldn’t say that I felt warm by any means but I got rid of the burning and aching and no longer felt in fear of frostbite!!!!!!!

When we got far enough out Mt Spokane Road we broke out of the fog into some sun and I was happy that I had gone on the ride. Today I discovered another benefit to the Tri-Fusion Club, not only is there power (energy, motivation etc.) in numbers; there is fun in numbers. I can assure you that if I had gone on that ride today alone, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have turned around in the first 15 minutes and been back home in the comfort of my warm house.

Tri-Fusion Rocks, I love you guys and gals and look forward to making more “hard core” memories this winter.

Thursday 10/26/06

Thirteen things that make me laugh 1) Most Jokes 2) Comedies on Stage or Screen 3) Adam & Noah repeating comedy monologues 4) Satire 5) Blonde Moments 6) Paisley getting the giggles 7) Making fun of myself 8) People watching 9) Clumsiness 10) A small child’s belly laugh 11) Amusing people 12) Silly mistakes 13) Most of my friends

Kona Underwear Run

Well, the second time around wasn't nearly as anxiety producing as the first time. We had a great time in our matching underwear and pink bras. We got a lot of attention for it and had our pictures taken by a lot of people. There were at least twice as many people in the run this time as there was in Canada which was extra fun. One of these people is John Blaze (the real superman). If any of you saw the footage of Hawaii Ironman last year, you'd know his story. He is fighting ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and was able to complete Ironman last year and make the time cut off (not in a wheelchair). The disease has obviously progressed, but he is here continuing to inspire everyone he meets, and even having fun all the while... yes, he too is wearing his underwear!

 

Thursday 10/19/2006

13 Things I Love about Vacations 1) Quality time with family & friends 2) Freedom from routine schedules 3) No television or phones 4) Eating different foods 5) Laying in the sun 6) Change of scenery 7) Finding new workout routes 8) Having time to relax 9) Sleeping in 10) Having time to read 11) Not being a slave to the clock 12) People watching 13) Laughing more

Snorkeling Adventure

These are some pictures from my first successful snorkeling adventure. It was so rewarding to have a wonderful time out in the water after after a few attempts that didn't work out due to claustrophobia/water issues. It looks like all my time in the water over the past almost 2 years has really paid off in more ways than in just triathlon.

Some of the snorkeling highlights were quality time with Kevin, floating over a sea turtle for about 5 minutes just ebbing and flowing with the tide watching it eat and swim, seeing gorgeous fish of all different colors, sizes, and shapes, and getting to sit on the beach afterwards relaxing and taking in the tropical paradise. 

Swimming in Hawaii

There are two great kinds of swimming here in Hawaii. One is in the swimming pool at the condo.

The other is in the glorious ocean. I had my first open water swim today and actually liked it much more than I thought I would. Although my throat started to feel a little sore (ironic because don't you gargle salt water for a sore throat), the waves didn't really bother me much. I enjoyed our "Starbucks Swim" with the other Tri Fusion members here and even loved being able to see all the fish. (I'm looking forward to doing some snorkeling tomorrow.)

It's the End of the World!

Okay, not really. There are no torrential rains, no one running for the airport, no tsunamis, no one swimming back to the mainland... in all reality things are pretty much back to normal. Although, I'd be lying if I didn't mention that Kevin and I nearly pooped our pants when we were awaken on Sunday morning with the entire room shaking violently. Since we got to our condo so late on Sat. night we didn't go to the grocery store for food. This proved to be a bit of a problem when all the grocery stores were closed on Sunday morning with no power and lots of messes to clean up. So after waiting in long lines for donuts and coffee we were finally able to make it to a grocery store yesterday afternoon. It's been a great trip so far... definitely memorable. Kevin and I have been enjoying the laid back pace and even had a chance to go on a couple runs together. We're traveling with a great group of people which makes for lots of great conversation and laughter.

Here's a picture of some of the girls hanging out at the pool!

More updates to come!

Thursday 10/12/2006

13 things I would like to do before I die 1) Experience a 30 day vacation 2) Finish an Ironman Triathlon 3) Own a boat big enough to sleep on 4) Take my kids back to Okinawa Japan 5) Do massage for free at a Nursing home 6) Visit New York City 7) Collect Social Security 8) Remain Cancer Free 9) See my 3 kids live rewarding lives 10) Renew my wedding vows 11) Be debt free, including my house 12) Get a 3 hour 4 handed massage 13) Have a 100th Birthday party

Hawaii Here We Come!

Yipee! We are packing our bags for Hawaii. We leave Saturday for the Big Island and are looking forward to enjoying some fun in the sun, fellowship with great friends and also being in the middle of all the excitement of Ironman World Championships 2006! We will be taking our Cheering Talent to the next level as we cheer for Roger Thompson in his much earned Ironman World Championship Debut. The race is Saturday October 21st and you can watch it too if you go to: http://www.ironmanlive.com/ on race day. This gives you amazing live commentary as the race day evolves.

Kevin and I did a little shopping for the trip and I thought I would send you a picture of our matching outfit so you can spot us easily if you dial in on race day…Just kidding……about the matching outfit…...tee….hee!!

We actually did however do a little shopping and if you are a frequent visitor of my Blog you are aware of the Ironman Pre-event fundraiser called “The Underpants Run”! Well we were caught by surprise and “under-prepared” if you know what I mean in Canada! So this time I wanted to make sure we were prepared so I thought I would give you a sneak preview!


Make sure to check out the Blog as we will be posting from Hawaii!!

http://kathibest.blogspot.com/

TriFusion Strikes again!

Here we are getting our tummies warm and full of the carbs that we will be burning as we plunge into the freezing waters of Medical Lake! Up for the frigid challenge were Kirk, Sam & Tanya, Roger & Jessi, Kathi & Mark! Lorie and Natalie did their runs around the lake and Greg finished his 3 hour bike at the lake!
This was our inaugural Tri-Fusion Swim Cap Swim!! Wow!! The swim caps are gorgeous as modeled by Kirk! It was awesome seeing all those red caps swimming the length of the lake. No doubt we were easy to spot, and looked good too!!
There are countless benefits of being part of a team, one of which is getting help with zipping up your wetsuit, thank you Lorie! I have thus far not managed to be able to zip up my own wetsuit. It was so cold we were shivering just getting into our wetsuits. Brrrrrrrrr!!!!
Here we are Die Hard Tri-Fusion Board members braving the elements to continue our Starbucks Swim tradition, make a memory and raising the bar for HARD CORE TRI-TRAINING!!!!! No wusses here!!

TRI-FUSION ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are 13 Board Members who have worked diligently for the past 3 months, to organize a Top Notch Tri Club here in Spokane. As a unified board we have committed endless hours, writing a mission statement and bylaws, creating logos, getting sponsors, picking team clothing, designing a website, and creating group activities and traditions that will not only provide first class support but amazing fellowship in the world of Triathlon. We have our official Tri-Fusion launch on Wednesday November 8th. Check out our website at www.Tri-Fusion.com

TriFusion and the Colbert Half

Tri Fusion was represented at the Colbert ½ Marathon this past Saturday by board members Kim Ellis and Kirk Wood-Gaines.
Congratulations Kirk on an awesome race, we know this was your favorite race of the year so far because you yourself have been quoted saying that your favorite race is the “next one”!

Not only did you run like a cheetah today representing our club in an impressive way. You emulated the true heart and soul of TriFusion by staying long after you finished the race to cheer for a fellow team member. This was over the top and was a perfect example of one of the purposes of our Club.

Kirk you make me proud to be on the same team as you! And by the way your smile is infectious!!!


Contratulations Kim Ellis on completion of the biggest race of your life so far……..… the Colbert ½ Marathon!!

I will never forget the phone call I got about 7 weeks ago asking me if after your first Triathlon season I thought you could train and be ready to run a ½ Marathon in 7 weeks. I wasn’t surprised that Julie had asked you, but I remember being stunned and amazed that you were considering it!! Well I wasn’t about to give you a way out so of course I said yes!!

I have watched you diligently carve out the long hours to train, even in the rain and I am so proud of you for taking on the challenge.

You were the perfect example today of one of the benefits of being part of a team. You were blessed by several TriFusion members (Kirk, Jessi, Kathi & Natalie) rallying around you in various ways to support your inaugural ½ Marathon race.
You made us all proud today by your determination and courageous spirit! Kim you have a promising future in Triathlon and I look forward to seeing what you choose to tackle next. Your journey to fitness is inspiring to all of us who are blessed to call you our friend!

Thursday Thirteen 10/5/06

Thirteen Things that inspire me! 1) Seeing someone passionate about anything 2) Loyalty 3) Anything in Nature 4) Authenticity 5) Patriotism 6) Any husband who adores his wife 7) Someone who triumphs over adversity 8) Understanding Brain Function, living it, honoring it in others and seeing lives transformed by it. 9) Doing something I have never done before 10) Quality time with my family or a good friend 11) Watching Paisley dance 12) Watching how my three kids navigate through life 13) Uplifting and upbeat music

New driver alert!!

Public notification of a new 15 year old on the road with a Washington State Learner’s Permit. Has been spotted near various businesses in North Spokane, but most recently seen around the 11,000 block of North Normandie. She is cute and looks innocent but she is armed and dangerous behind the Wheel of a Dark Blue Suzuki Vitara. Please call 280-0627 if you notice anything suspicious or alarming or feel your personal safety is in jeopardy.

Happy 52nd Birthday to my Sweetheart!

I have had the blessing of being your wife for more than 29 years.

I think that marriage is one of the greatest ongoing challenges two people ever face. The meshing of two lives, two personalities, and two totally different brains can seem at times like an impossibility. Even through all the growing pains we have been through together our Marriage has continued to grow closer every year.

Having survived the exciting phase of New Love and the seemingly never ending phase of Tough Love, I am thrilled to be enjoying the secure phase of Mature Love with you. I have learned how to Love unconditionally from you and that is just one of so many qualities I value in you.

I find special joy in life as your wife, your lover, your parenting partner and your friend. Being with you just seems to get better and better just like a fine wine. Thank you for being you, for being your authentic self even when I have tried to change you. You are a special part of me that I wouldn’t want to live without.

I love you and always will..........…

Love, Hugs, Kisses and other fringe benefits……..…Kathi