Saturday I started my morning early - 5 am to take my medicine so I could eat a little something before setting out on my brick. I was a woman with a plan. I took some time to figure out a 5 mile route that would let me run part of the 5 miles before getting to the Y to jump on the stationary bike for a "quick" 20 miles and then run the rest of the way home. Typically I wouldn't be excited about the stationary bike for 20 miles, I'd much rather be on the road on my bike, but it was DARK and I also know that it takes me 47 minutes flat to do 20 miles on the stationary bike while using level 8 of the random hill program. And Saturday morning at 9:00 am, we had an easter egg hunt to go to with the girls that I was not about to be late to or miss.
By 6:10 am I was out the door. The chiropractor said that I could run if it didn't hurt. If it hurt, I had to walk. Well, it didn't hurt for the 1st few minutes and then it started to hurt. But I finished out my 1st 5/1 and decided that yes, it hurt but it didn't hurt that bad. I've endured much worse on a run, so I kept doing 5/1s until at about the 1 1/2 mile point it really hurt bad. Mainly just pain down my shin, but a little IT and sciatica on the left leg thrown in for fun too. So I decided I'd still do 5/1's but I'd switch to 5 minutes of walking and 1 minute of running. So I walked 6 straight minutes and did the 1 minute. It hurt but not all that much and then I felt my back shift and the pain while still there a little was only a little bit there. So I 5/1'd it all the way to the Y.
As I approached the Y, I passed my favorite bakery where the owner was hanging a sign about Wi-Fi and I shouted out a "Good Morning" as I passed. Then I slowed up for the Y... and realized it was awfully dark in there and I didn't see anyone. I looked at the clock they have up and it was just before 7, and I thought okay. I can run in circles or something for 5 minutes and then I glanced at the window with the opening and closing times at the Y... it doesn't open until 8 am on Saturdays! So I uttered an expletive and 5/1'd it the rest of the way home. My right leg felt really good on the last 1 1/2 miles home, I could tell that I was heel striking and rolling up my foot just like I do when my back is being a good girl. My left leg on the other hand was not quite where it was supposed to be and sort of felt like I was flopping my foot a little and like my foot was pointing out to the left or something as I ran.
I finished the run feeling pretty good. No pain even. (The pain would come later in the day and I would address it with my foam roller, and live with the pain on and off ever since.) The sun was starting to come up. So I went into the garage with my cellphone and gu's that I was trying, grabbed my helmet and new sunglasses and put on my gloves. Got the garage door opener from the car and set out down the driveway with the bike. I put it on the road and tried to ride and realized that my derailleur was not working quite right. That's when I remembered that when we yanked my tire off the bike to change it, the derailleur did something funky.
Back into the garage. I see sitting there, my road bike on my trainer. All set up and ready to go. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but then I had gotten all excited about getting out on the road on my tri bike. I still had my bike shoes on, so I just hopped on and started pedalling. I looked at my watch and realized that I would need to do 1 hour on the trainer and mentally figured that should be about 20 miles if I'm keeping a nice cadence, at least I hope. I realize I need to get another bike computer for the trainer, but I'm not quite in the financial place to do that just right this moment. But I was sweating like a pig already and really biking the heck out of it in the big chain ring, so I figure this is what I'm going to have to do... but I'm getting it done.
About 5 minutes into it, Angelfish opens the door to the garage, sticks her head out and says:
"Good Morning, Mommy! I'm still in my pajamas!"
Me: "I see that!"
Angelfish: What are you doing?
Me: Riding my bike.
Angelfish: In the garage?
Me: Well, I didn't want to wake anyone and something isn't quite right with my other bike.
Angelfish: Oh. See you later!
Me: Bye.
Next thing I know Ladybug is outside, dressed and says: "Why can't I touch your bike while you're on that?"
Me: The back wheel is going really fast, you see it?
Ladybug: Yes.
Me: Well, if you touch it, it could cut your fingers off.
Ladybug: And then I'd have to go back to heaven?
Me: Well, you might not die, but we'd definitely have to go to the hospital and you might end up missing fingers like Grammie. (Grammie had the majority of her pinky and ring finger cut off on one hand when she was little and reached under the washing machine to get a ball - back in the day when they had the moving parts exposed under the machine.)
Ladybug: Ouch!
Me: Exactly.
Then Angelfish and Ladybug are outside and asking me if they can stay outside and talk to me. I told them they could and the next thing I know they're making a fort on our driveway with boxes and a golf umbrella. So I took a minute or two to bring my trainer out onto the driveway... which was a lot cooler than continuing in the garage. A nice win-win situation for all involved. Of course, at this point, neighbors are driving around and looking at both the girls and me as though I'm a complete nut. And my next door neighbor rides up on his bike (he just started doing triathlons this year), laughs at me on the trainer, and then runs off on the run leg of his Saturday brick. Finally, my full hour is practically up on the bike. The girls have headed inside about 3 minutes before, and Mr. Darcy has finally awoken and tells me that I really need to get off the bike and get a shower if we're going to make the Easter Egg hunt. And I tell him I need 35 seconds. I'm done.
I convinced Mr. Darcy to bring the trainer back into the garage while I clean up the fort.
Easter (Part One)
A bottle of chocolate milk (you know the 16 oz. size) and a peanut butter bagel, a shower, and we're at the start of the Easter egg hunt looking at the 75-100 children and their parents all wanting to get at perhaps 50 eggs in a field.
They shout go, and Angelfish is off like a flash. So fast that I don't even know where she went and I'm looking at Ladybug who is apprehensive about all those kids and parents running, so I go with her and we're too late. All the eggs have been grabbed up. But a sweet little boy looks over at Ladybug's basket and sees that she didn't get any eggs and he throws one of his into her basket. Then I find Angelfish who has racked up - she has at least 10. She gives 2 away completely unprompted to a little girl she sees who didn't get any eggs, and then looks at Ladybug's basket and gives her 3 of hers. I have to say it made me so happy!
We hit the arts and crafts table where we decorate "eggs" that are ovals with black stuff on it that you scratch off with a pencil like contraption and pretty colors appear. That was a big hit with the girls. Then it was on to the bakery where we ate. Mr. Darcy didn't want anything, but Grammie had a tuna fish sandwich (even though it was only 10 am), PaPa had a bagel with egg and ham, the girls split a huge cinamon bun, and I was "bad." I had vermont french toast - french toast with ham rolled up between the slice of french toast that's been cut in half and a slice of cheddar cheese, heated with maple syrup and powdered sugar. On the rare occasion I eat this, I generally skip the maple syrup and powdered sugar... but not today. And it was great!
Then back to the house to play a bit, and I went off to volunteer at Baby Basics... counting and bundling diapers and then distributing to the families who arrived via Catholic Charities to the church at Winter Park. There were a good number of us Junior Leagers there, so it took no time at all and we ended up sitting and chatting while waiting for the families. Then back home to color eggs, cook dinner, bake part of the tart for Easter, put the girls to bed and play Easter bunny by putting their baskets together (and to eat all the black jelly beans, since I'm the only one that likes them).
Easter (Part Two)
Easter Sunday, only PaPa and I wanted to go to church, so we skipped it. The girls got up before everyone, got dressed and came in and asked me if the Easter Bunny had skipped their house because they didn't see any baskets. Turns out they were looking for something sort of like a Christmas Tree to signal that the Easter bunny had arrived. I told them that I saw the Easter Bunny hop through the kitchen and living room the night before, so they should look again.
Ladybug found her basket on the kitchen table right away, but Angelfish was looking for hers in odd little places like it was an Easter Egg Hunt. Finally, she found hers and before I could stop her, she ate ALL of the jelly beans in her basket and I had to force feed her some cheese to get protein in her little system because she had a big belly ache. Once the protein kicked in a bit, she was feeling better... but she had to go cry and lay on her bed a bit first. Ladybug, who paced herself a bit more, gave a little talk on why we shouldn't eat too much sugar and then asked if she could help me finish making the tart now.
So we whipped the cream and sugar and topped it with strawberries mixed with orange marmalade. Then I cooked our Polish breakfast - turkey kielbaska, put out the hardboiled eggs, slice the Babka (Easter Bread), make coffee and pour the milk for the kids, and set the table. Then we woke up Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Darcy Senior. Grammie was great and helped with entertaining Angelfish who doesn't care too much for helping in the kitchen, and with making the coffee as well as the 1st sweep to wake up Mr. Darcy.
Breakfast was great, and we all chatted with my parents on the phone for a few minutes. Then we played and the girls took turns dressing up as brides and princesses before the Senior Darcy's headed to Mr. Darcy's brother's wife's parent's house (aka our sister-in-law's parents' house) for Easter Dinner. As soon as they left, I threw the ham into the oven along with the orange glaze I made for it and we watched "The Princess and the Frog." The girls loved it, but unfortunately this time around they got that the Shadowman kills Ray the firefly, so we had to talk about death again. Ladybug and I both almost cried, but were saved by the happy sight of the frogs getting married. (Yeah, a big thanks to Disney for that one...)
By the end of the movie, I had basted the ham a few times and it was ready for consumption. I cheated a little on the sides - steamed green beans and buttermilk mashed potatoes (that were potatoes in those Ore Ida microwave bags - if you don't mind lumpy potatoes, they're a great time saver). And then the girls got to eat part of their chocolate easter bunnies and Mr. Darcy and I finished off the tart.
The Bunny's ears really do taste the best!
Contemplating the eating of bunny's head... which happened shortly after.
So I'm sugar filled and feeling fat and bloated from it today, but looking forward to swim practice tonight, hopefully a bike ride in the morning, a chiropractor appointment if I can get one tomorrow, and some family time in between. My paralegal is on PTO for a few days this week, so I'm hoping it's a pretty quiet on the work front. : )
Happy Easter and Monday, y'all!
I would have probably chuckled at the site of a fort and someone on their trainer in the driveway.
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