Conquer the Coast, 2010

Over the weekend, Robert, Grant, and I headed over to Corpus Christi bay front area for a bike ride. Rob has ridden three times this year and to my surprise, Rob decided to ride the 65 mile route. He hung on to my jersey pocket for a few miles going through Mustang Island and I even got off my bike to rub his legs when he started cramping. There was a nice cardiologist to SAG him in to the hotel which allowed Grant and me to work on our TTT (Team Time Trial) skills for the last 20 miles.

This ride often gets rained out and the wind is horrific. This year, the weather was perfect. Not too hot, no wind to complain of, and a nice ferry ride over to Rock Port. This ride has just made the top three lists of best rides.

Below is a picture of a group of riders crossing the ferry over to Rock Port.

Confession

This may come as a surprise to you but it is true. I have been following this cute young boy here at work. Of course I have not gone totally crazy but he is enough to make this girl blush.

Let’s just say I may have adjusted my work out times slightly to end up in the gym at the same time. Yes, I may have opted to use the treadmill next to him and I had a really good workout that day.

Not to mention he wears muscle shirts instead of the t-shirts us other folk wear. I think I have caught myself staring at his biceps. Maybe not staring but looking for too long.

Maybe I looked up his profile to see where he sits and what his background is. It turns out we went to both the same universities for undergrad and graduate studies. How about that?

I might have looked him up on Facebook. And this is where I insert; he looks really good without a shirt on. Did I really just blog that? I think I even said that out loud. Now I really feel like Mrs. Jones.

Reflections of Quince

The Quince ended up being a smashing success. It took lots of arguing with the military police, lots of planning, and a half a bottle of crown royal. By the time the lights dimmed, I was having a blast. Everyone we invited showed up and Alexis got her big party.

The best part of the day was that Mom attended AND that she stayed for the entire evening. At times, I would turn around and there would be friends gathered around Mom taking pictures to capture the moment.

Today, I looked up and realized I have not been on my bike since the triathlon. I went from competing, to the hospital, to the quince all without any riding in between. An organized ride Saturday should get me back to Barbie and back to her bike.

One More Day

It was only a few days ago that my family gathered in an intensive care room surrounding my mom bed. I remember feeling defeated as we heard the news. Emotionally, we had to face the truth and accept Mom’s illness. The hollow in my sole started forming, an empty space where Mom connects to me started to hurt. The pain of losing my mom was becoming real.

Sunday, I arrived at the hospital to I find Mom sitting watching TV and eating her lunch. She asks what all the fuss was about. She doesn’t remember the past week. It’s like nothing. She looks like nothing happened to her.

Part of me thinks that she is fighting to get through this weekend and it will only be a matter of time. No one knows. It could be a week or it could be months. All I know is that today, I am grateful I get to talk to Mom for another day. My sole rejoices, that today, I have this much more time with her.

Washed Away

Slowly, my make-up is being washed away. It has been almost a week since Mom has been in the hospital and I have given up on putting mascara on. My tears wash it away.

For the past two years, Mom has lived with severe liver disease. Only 5% of her liver has been working. Her body is shutting down. We take her to the hospital only to find out that cancer has returned. It has spread to stage 4 and it’s all over her body.

My family has decided to place her in hospice care. For today, the doctors want to keep her in the hospital another few days so that an antibiotic IV drip can run its course.

She and I have special moments. I feed her while I eat my dinner and we talk. There are no regrets on my end. Every day, every moment has been to the fullest.

This morning at breakfast, there was a man wearing a "Topeka Kansas" t-shirt. I couldn't help but ask him if that is where he was from. He answered saying a friend bought it for him. I told him about my XC trip and riding through Kansas. We shared a conversation. As he left, he was thanking me for making his day.

It’s the small things that make people happy.

Mom IS Strong

Mom gave us quite a scare this week. Her blood pressure dropped scary low (60/20) on Wednesday and some how, being the strong woman that she is, Mom has pulled through once again.

The doctor instructed the family to gather and decide on her care. It was a hard converstation to have but the truth had to be talked about. For now, I am going to leave most of the details out until the results of her test come back. Mom is sick but we hope to make her comportable and get her out of the hospital by next weekend for the party.