Year in Review - Happy New Year 2012

This year has been amazing.  It started off with a blizzard that shut down the city of Atlanta and resulted in me having to replace the entire water line in my house.  The Lord provided. 

It continued with me celebrating my 35th birthday with great friends at an art studio.  Their master pieces decorate my workout room that houses my treadmill that is constantly helping me stay in shape and prepped me to complete my first triathlon.  The devil attempted to stop that from happening by having a car hit me on Mother's Day.  What the devil meant for evil God meant for good.   

I completed my Master's of Public Health and currently waiting on the Lord to take me to the next level in my career and my life.   I am believing God to do something beyond what I can think or imagine.   I know without a doubt He is steadily preparing me. 

I would be remissed if I did not mention that I lost my beloved iphone.  I am such an advocate for this phone you would think I was perked by Apple.  It is just an amazing device due to my unofficial selling of the product I have had 5 friends buy one yet I still I have not replaced mine, I just miss it so much.  No worries come January 25^th when I am eligible without AT&T’s $250 early upgrade fee, I will have one by 10:10 am. 

I had the privilege to go to D.C. this year as the United States unveiled the first monument on the National Mall that pays tribute to the legacy and work of a black man – him being Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I had thought it in my heart that I wanted to go but did not make any particular steps to do so.  However, I serve an amazing God who will give me and you the smallest desires of our hearts even when we do not ask.  Just imagine what He would do for us if we asked in faith.  Father, help my unbelief! 

The year has come to a steady end and once again the Lord has showered me with great friends and family that I am thankful each day that I have in my life.  As for plans for 2012 I am waiting in expectation for God to do something extraordinary!

Friday Night Dinner

Friday Night Dinner this week consisted of Creamy Vegan Broccoli and Rice Casserole, homemade onion rolls and apple molasses cake. My aunt and uncle have this amazing garden and they sent me broccoli and I used it in this recipe and it was awesome!!!

First Annual Holiday Cookie Exchange

I had a cookie exchange the second week in December.  Unfortunately it has taken me a little over a week to blog about and complete the frame with the art work of the ladies that attended.  It was for ladies only.  My brother attended to take care of Patches.  How awesome is that!

Here are some of the highlights!

The above is a picture of the invitation that each guest receivd compliments of Williams Sonoma holiday that I purchased at the end of the holidays, the agenda, the desert scoring sheet, cookie name tag and tag for bag of cookies to take home.  The backdrop is a place mate from the Reindeer Collection from Pottery Barn! They did not have this piece this year.  I added a cookie plate this year to my collection and I am looking forward to seeing what I will add when it goes on sale after the holidays.  You will see next year!

Each guest had their very own place mate, canvas, paint tray and an assortment of brushes

My mom and one guest - T painting the canvas all white before the other guests arrive.   T was the first to arrive.  All of my friends know my need for order and timeliness.  At least all showed up by 15 minutes after the designated start which took a lot, since most of my friends  have a husband and kids and it takes a minute to get them occupied so they can leave the house!

The ladies working away on their master pieces!

This is the winning desert, called Santa's hat.  Can I say they were awesome!! Thanks C.

Group picture with me in it thankfully.  My brother was there taking care of Patches, who ended up not needing to much attention, he was able to take a few pictures, thansk!  Patches did really well with a house full of people!  See all those platters of goodies, we were full!

All the ladies looking at their beautiful art work!

The final product is this wonderful frame of all of their art work.  The middle canvas is one I did with Patches, I put paint on her paw and gently pressed it up against the canvas.  She did not object to me doing that at all, I was very pleased.  I was afraid I was going to have paint all over the bathroom floor.  We survived.  Can you tell which two canvases are actually upside down?   Putting this together was little cumbersome and after two times of trying to put it together I was done.  I will update it again at my next painting party in the Spring!

In case you want to know the frame is of course from Pottery Barn it is their oversized (48' squatre)  Gallery Frame which is on sale on line for $159 however in the store it is $99.  Please know that because I work there I did not pay either price.  The benefits of having a part time job at a store you actually shop at!

These are just a few hightlights of a wonderful time  had with  some awesome ladies that took the time out on their Saturday evening to spend it with me!

Friday Night Dinner Recap

Tonight's Dinner pasta and veggie meatballs, fresh corn on the cob, brocolli and homemade bread my mom made!

Veggie Fish/Tofu Tacos with cabbage slow and avocado cream and black beans! Can I add this slaw was absolutely amazing I could eat it by itself.  I actually ate a little each day till it was gone

Vegan Lemon Strawberry Cheesecake.  Very delivious I found the recipe in my favorite Vegan Cookbook author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Vegan Quasidillas from Colleen Patrick Goudreau as well.  They were ok I think I will have to work on it some more!

Ole faithful blueberry cobbler~

A Giant Among Men - MLK Memorial in Washington, DC

Public Health Messaging that I LOVE

This picture is part of the Stop Chidhood Obesity Campaign in Georgia.  What is blacked out for whatever reason is the messaging that states 'Chubby is not Cute if it leds to Type 2 Diabetes'  This is so true.  I just love that this campaign for targeting the issues.  Here are some more of their ads with the messaing on them.

Quotable Quote

Georgia Mutual Insurance Company Review #2

Well this story is continuing to unfold.  Let's see on Tuesday I called and spoke with the adjuster of my case and she pitifully offered me laughable about for my pain and suffering.  And I immediately declined that offer and explained to her why, seeing that the offer barely covered my medical bills and  the pain I wake up with ever morning and toss and turn in bed whenever I lay on my left side to long was worth a little more than the  tip she was offering for my pain and the suffering they are having me to continually endure from them.  I then respectcully asked if her supervisor could call me.  She surprizing informed me that he probably would not be calling me.  I responded to that by saying well if he does not call me I will go the VP and then to the president of your company however I do hope he calls me.  So I called her back today and asked had she given him my message, she stated yes.  I asked for his name and she shared that and his phone number.  While I was calling him he was calling me.  How about that. 

He proceded to stick with the offer and suggested I take up anything further with the courts.  I had spoken to a number of lawyers and they informed me that it is reasonable to expect 3 to 4 times your medical bills for your pain and suffering.  To that he said he has never paid out such and I thought oh and then he rattled off a list of no name insurance companies that he has worked for and from what I can gather Georgia Mutual Insurance Company is probably the lowest of the grades of his list of employers.  I proceded to ask to speak with his supervisor and he stated he did not have one and that he is on the board of directors and blah blah blah.  I then asked who signs your checks, can I speak with him/her. (FYI I asked the adjuster the same question and she was like I do not know, oh my goodness, know who signs your check or who is accountable for your check)  He says he signs his own check and I am thinking oh my goodness.  If this  isn't  more evident of how crappy this company, it keeps adding up.  In theory, signing ones own check is really cool.  However please know that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates never signed their own checks when they were with their respective companies ( Apple and Microsoft) and all the money was theirs.  There is a little thing called accountability.   More proof (if he was telling the truth) of how crappy this company is..

List of how crappy this compnay is;

1.  I had to pick up the police report from when their client hit me for the claim to be initiated
2.  It took them 8 weeks to settle my payment for my bike and other incidentals
3.  Their staff person comes to my house unannounced to pick up said bike and incidentals without any identification associating him with the insurance besides the check
4.  The check they sent could not be cashed until my bank had contacted them by phone to authorize cashing the check ( I had never heard of this before)
5.  They have consistently disrespected me thru this entire process, I am the victim
6.  more I cannot think of but as I do I will update the list

The money is little consulatioin for the pain I lay down with and experience off and on as I walk and the pain that comes when I run for an extended period of time.  This accident has changed my life in a lot of ways that I will not take the time to explain here, but imagine being physically hit by a car driving 40 miles an hour and knocking you into the fence of a cemetary.  That is what I wake up with everyday. 

If I am able to make one person think twice about being insured by this crappy company and so many others just like it, then my job is done.  Don't worry I will definitely file a complaint with the Georgia Insurance Commision, I already have  the paperwork and if you have had a negative experience with them or a similar company file a complaint.  Know for every complaint that is filed their are usually hundreds of others that have experienced the same thing but did have the time or take the time to complete the complaint.  Do it for them,  as I do!

Quotable Quote

We accept the love we think we deserve....

author unknown

My Frigidaire

Well for the past two week my Frigidaire side by side refrigerator has not been working.  It had stopped working in December and January and I had called Appliance Service to fix it.  They sent a guy name Gary out to fix it both times.  Unknown to me the second time Gary came out he charged me thru his own company Appliance Repair.  I never noticed the difference until I called Appliance Service and told them how the compressor they put in that was still under warranty had gone out.  My own assessment.  They informed me that they were not responsible and proceeded to give me Gary's phone number.  Strikeout  for Appliance Service.  They sent him out I never had any contact with him personally.  This is a crappy company not worth your time.

I finally got a hold of Gary with Appliance Repair (his company) and he comes out after about 3 days and informs me that it is the compressor and that he will replace  it.  I call him repeatedly over the next 2 weeks to come out and fix my refrigerator. He stated he was coming on more than one occasion and I sit at my house waiting and waiting for him to show.  I finally just asked did he have true intentions on fixing it, he assured me he was that was last Friday.  I waited and waited he did not come.

 I then thanks to my brother's encouragement I call Frigidaire.  I informed them of the issue that I was continually having with my Frigidaire refrigerator and a  brief overview of the above situation.  The young lady that handled my case my patient, understanding, listened and provided me with excellent customer service.  So much so they gave me a list of certified Frigidaire repair people and paid the bill.  I could not have asked for more. It was fixed that Day. I called the first people on the list and the refrigerator was fixed that day.  How awesome is that.  Additionally it was not the compressor it was the relay, that means Gary did not know what he was talking about.  Oh my goodness Appliance Repair is a crappy company too, not worth anyone's time and he was not a communicator and not worth anyone's time.

This situation once again confirmed with me to just go to the people who know what they are doing and that are certified in doing whatever task it is and that cheaper is not always better.  Getting the run around from Crappy Appliance Service and Appliance Repair cost me two week of eating out, no ice cold water in the midst of a Georgia summer and the inconvenience of not being able to cook in my own kitchen.

Black Girls Run

A few weeks ago I was introduced to a group on Facebook called Black Girls Run.  I have gotten a number of invitations to participate, but never took the plunge.  Well as we know thankfully - only God- I have been running on the treadmill 3 miles 3 days a week for the last few months.  Today I took the plunge and ran with Black Girls Run, on the Freedom Parkway route.  It was awesome to run with a group - something I had never done before (minus my triathlon).  It was encouraging to run with such a diverse group of women varying in running levels, ages and sizes.  They break up the groups according to running levels.  I have been running a 10 minute miles so I presummed I could run with the 10-12 minute mile group - my mistake.  Each group has a leader  who circles the group to make sure no one is left and my group leader to Darlene and then within in each group you are paired with a running parner, my partner was Samantha.  They both were awesome.  On the way back of the 20 minute out and 20 minute back run my hip which hurts off and on as a result of my accident mentioned here  I stopped and Samantha stopped with me but I say oh no go ahead I do not want to hold you back, she continued on.  At one point I was the last in my group and Darlene (the group leader) stayed with me when I did my run walk phase I eventually encouraged myself thru the pain and in the absence of my usual running music  which is mostly gospel which is enouraging and the outside temperature.  As I  was running back in, Samantha is ran back to me and ran with me to the end.  That was awesome sportmanship and great character and some other word I cannot put my fingure on. I was so touched by this group of women that I have never meet and who embraced me as a long time friend.  I look forward to the next run.

I learned a few thing about myself on the run.  I really do need music to encourage me thru.  I will synce my ipod TODAY.  I desperately still miss my iphone.  I learned I do not like carrying things when I run.  I had to carry my ipod which had not been synced in years and my car key.  I will need to get a waist or an arm band pocket for these.  I also learned I like running with people.

Black Girls Run thanks for being an awesome group of women dedicated to encouraging black women to exercise and making them feel welcome and encouraging them on the journey to preserve the sexy!

Bodies Exhibition

I had the privilege to visit the Bodies Exhibit at Atlantic Station last week.  It was an amazing exhibit.  It was definitely an exhibition of how fearfully and wonderful made our Creater God has made us.  The detail and preservation displayed in intricate detail how our body is interelated. 

The most thought provoking part of the exhibit was the display of fetus in utero.  It displayed fetus at 9 weeks and onward.  I had never seen that.  I have always thought that if I became pregnant, I would have an abortion if needed.  After viewing the detail of the baby during those weeks during the first trimester I doubt I could.  It is essentially a tiny baby. 

I still do believe in a woman's right to choose.  This experience also made me think about legislation that requires women to view the unborn baby before an abortion is performed ( as is the case in Texas and proposed in Michigan).  That essentially is fear tactic.  I could not imagine viewing those images in an emotional state and not having an angry response to the person that showed me and to myself for making the choice for whatever reason to abort.  I feel for any woman that has to make that decision. 

My Visit to the Atlanta Edgewood Target Store

Friday I visited the my local Target Store.  They had Tide on sale $12 and if you buy 2 you get a $5 store gift card.  And because I saw this couponing show while I was in San Francisco a while back I have actually started cutting coupons for stuff I actually buy and I had a coupon for $3 off Tide.  I go up to the cashier and my total comes to 22.52 and I happily paid it so proud of my use of the coupon and getting the $5 gift card.  I ask the cashier for my gift card and she proceeds to tell me that it was applied in the transaction, I am taken a back for a second, and then proceed to tell her that is not possible based on the math alone.  She is not convinced I asked for the store manager, his name is Fred.  He comes to the same conclusion then I decide let do some elementary math for them the $12 each I buy 2, $12 x 2 = $24 minus my $3 coupon = $21 plus tax at 8% (1.52) = 22.52 please explain where the $5 gift card was applied.  He is still not convinced as you can imagine I am flabbergasted that the cashier and even the manager cannot perform basic math and additionally that they do not know basic store policy in that you cannot use a gift card that issued as a result of the transaction with in the same transaction.  During this interchange the store manager tells me that I am excited and to calm down and I thought I am not excited I am amazed by a couple of things;

1.  They could not perform basic math
2.  They did not know company policy
3.  The store manager did not know how to speak to a customer and an adult

Georgia Mutual Insurance Company Review

Well as you know from my previous post about being hit by a car while riding my bike that I have been dealing with the insurance company of the person that hit me.  Well this insurance company Georgia Mutual is probably one of the most unprofessional companies I have ever had the displeasure of working with. 

Where do I start the fact that the accident occurred on May 8th and I just received a check for my property damage on Saturday.  I was told by my lawyer that the adjuster would have the person that is picking up my property damage to call and arrange pick up sometime last week.  I did not receive a call.  However on Saturday morning I received a knock on my door a little after 8:00 am and it was the guy there to pick up my property and delivery my check. He had no ID associating him with the company and did not even have an inventory list of the items he was to pick up.  He was asking me what I was to give him besides the bike he was clueless.  I proceeded to ask him is it his custom to just show up at someones house unannounced.  He stated the called Friday and left a message about picking up the items.  I had not gotten the message and I proceeded to ask did I call you back and state that you could come.  He said no, but he stated he would just pop over and see if I was here to get it out of the way.  Are you serious you just show up at my house unannounced.  Who does that?  You are not family or a friend and it is not an emergency and you are not Publisher's Clearing House delivering me a check for a few million. 

I later checked my voicemail and he did indeed call me and left a message around 8:45 Friday evening stating he wanted to pick up the items Saturday and to give him a call back. First of all I do not expect a call about business so late in the evening and my friends even know after 9 pm it is wrap for me - bed time.  Because had he gotten me I would have told him no it is the Sabbath and out of respect for my belief I would not have entertained him however when he popped up and I want to end this whirlwind with this shady insurance company I gave them the items and accepted their check that I have been waiting on for two months now.

I understand that Georgia Mutual Insurance company is a company that insurers high risk drivers.  I totally understand that these drivers need insurance however drivers really investigate the insurance company.  If they give you the run around they will definitely give the person that you may hit, the run around because they do not want to pay out the damages that you caused.  You want to be a better person than that, you hurt someone.  Step up to your responsibility, be a good person.  In my case the person hit me directly from behind hitting my hip and knocking clear off her passenger side mirror, you know my hips got power, LOL.  I have pain off and on all the time thankfully it was not broken only bruised.  But the hassle Georgia Mutual has put me through has added to the psychological trauma of physically being hit by a car.  I am a little shaky every time I get on my bike so much so I have not ridden in over a  month and have sworn off riding on the street even with the new Georgia bike laws.

That's all for now on the topic if you are a high risk driver do not choose Georgia Mutual investigate the company ask a few questions - What is your required turn around to payout the property damage on the claim after the accident has been reported and given to the adjuster?  Does the victim have to provide the police report?  side note I had to go to the police department and pick up and fax to Georgia Mutual the police report if I wanted my case expedited, I guess two months is expedited?  Just a few basics!

Friday Night Dinner

Friday night dinner with the family included homemade black bean burgers that were so easy to make I will probably make again and freeze some and take them out as  needed.  In addition we had sweet potatoe fries which turned out pretty good.  I made strawberry cupcakes for my brother. He had been asking for a while so I finally made him some.  You know me I like presentation, here I present Friday night dinner plated and desert staged for your viewing pleasure.

 

My July Bed

Well this month's bed is compliments of West Elm.  This is the Organic Lily Pad duvet and Euro sham.  I must say I am liking the Organic fabric.  I find the duvet does not have to be ironed after I wash it like others I have bought.  It helped a little that this pattern was on sale plus my employee discount what more could a girl ask for.  I really enjoy how just chaning the duvet can change the room.  I am hoping the design I want for August is still available and on sale.  No need to buy it a month in advance.  Right? 

Sewing Project #1

Well I have been trying to get back into sewing since the summer began.  I am suppose to be working on a quilted poncho for my Dad made of all the t-shirts for various teams he has coached over the years.  The project is a massage undertaking that I am confident I can accomplish I just need a jump start.  Well this week I got the jump start aftering reading Happy Together Blog about making a headband. I saw and said I can make that and I did. I made two when I came home from work yesterday and wore one today to work.  What do you think?  I must say it was very easy and I am sure I will be making a few more of these.

IPhone 4 Scam

Well as you know based on my last post I lost my iphone 4.

After calling AT &T a few times trying to understand how much it was cost to replace - $250 for the early upgrade fee ( it is not an upgrade just a replacement but still the fee exist).  I had no problem paying for the phone and extending the contract but $250 just because I want/need a new phone and then the cost of the phone.  Oh no that would put me at $450 before taxes a cost that I could not afford and was unwilling to pay at that point.

Well that began my investigation on ebay and craigslist.  I decided to go the craiglist route no mailing and easy pick it up in the ATL.  Well I found one on there for $275 drastically below what the others were selling them for the average was $400, which should have been my clue if it is to good to be true it really is.  Another figure out of my ball park.  I had arranged to mete the young lady at Starbucks.  I  took an initial look at the phone and  all seemed okay. I proceeded to put my sim card in and it went in another way then my last one which should have been my first clue but I was so longing to have the iphone 4 I ignored that.  My second clue should have been the fact that the touch screen hesitated when I touched if anything at least on my  last one it was extra sensitive. But I let it go the lady had her baby and she was getting agitated. My third clue should have been the fact that the earphones were not the standard issue Apple earphone. I should have known better,  I have been an Apple fan for years.   oh I made a phone call to make sure that worked however about 5 minutes after I gave her the money I  knew I had been had.  The camera did not work properly and the camera is worse then the iphone 3 which I actually had on me because I had my mom's phone.  I called my mom again from the phone and it shut off and I called her again from my other phone and just started crying.  I had just been scammed $275 all because I did not want to pay the $450 all for a saving of $175 and I still do not have a phone that works properly and I still need to get a phone.

I have so many feelings about this whole situation the main one is I feel God told me all along I should not have gone to meet her that was not the phone for me but I was more concerned about not standing the girl up than about pleasing God and listening to His voice.  But because I was so head strong and to my shame  I did not listen to the voice of God I am thus out of $275 and still do not have the phone the phone I wanted.  Father forgive me.

I emailed the girl and offered her the opportunity to return my money and I would give her iphone 4 clone however she has not responded.  Because I have more morals and my mom raised a better person I will not attempt to con someone else with the same phone.  I just want it out of my house.  It reminds me of my lack of faith in God to wait on Him to give me the phone and my ignoring His still small voice.

I have never knowingly been conned this is a lesson on that  and I feel embarrassed by that.  I try to believe in the honesty of people however this situation has truly blurred that belief.

My Iphone 4 - I miss you!!!

Well I lost my Iphone 4 on Friday night and my life has not been the same.  Since Friday I have learned about all the apps that help you locate your iphone when it is lost.  Please know when I find my phone I will have it on my phone. Please pray that I find it soon.

Kaiser Permanente

This week I had my annual physical.  It was my first one using a Kaiser health center.  Last, October Kaiser no longer allowed me to choose a physician outside of their network.  It took me until now  to get over my discontent of managed care and to make an appointment for a physical.  I tend to schedule one every 6 months because that is what the AMA advises and my insurance pays for it so if they pay for it must be something I should do.

Well my experience did not exceed my expectations.  Unfortunately it made me realized even more why I do not support managed care providers.   They were on time and I did not wait more than 5 minutes and I was actually early.  That was a good thing.  I go in put on the infamous examination gown.  The doctor comes says hello and sits at the computer and starts asking me a list of uniform questions that I had already answered on the information sheet that I had completed and was clipped chart beside the computer.  She never looked at it.  I am steadily looking at her waiting for her to look at me.  It does not happen.  She then begins to examine me.  No engaging conversation all very formal. And she still does not look at me.  There is no eye contact.  She performs the pap smear and she begins to leave and when she tells me she will be back to let me know the results of my urine test.  I then follow up and tell her in my experience at a physical you do some blood work ( oh let me preface this by saying I had not fasted and could not take the glucose test however other test were up for grabs) to test for everyknown STD, my anemia that I am known to have and a number of other issues that I would think you should follow up on in response to the list of questions she asked at the beginning.  Her response to me  was  'based on your responses and at at certain age and based on your answers on your health behavior  I did see the need for further blood test'.  Are you serious.  My first thought was I could just be telling you what is acceptable.  You have not even taken the time to look at me to engage with me in my health.  Who after while in that experience would feel comfortable telling their doctor they have more than one sexual partner, engage if illicit drug use,  binge drink, never exercise and over eats all the time.  Really!!!!!

So of course when she comes back and tell me my urine test was fine.  Meaning you are not pregnant.  Oh wow however I felt about that outcome she has no idea.  She does not know that I may be devastated by that news, I could have been trying for months (please know that is not the case).  But what if.  And what if it was the complete opposite that I was pregnant and that would be some serious devastation however I would not based on how I was treated during  course of the exam feel comfortable sharing that.  I feel she failed to provide me the best health care that she was able to provide.  Health is more than the absence of disease.  It is my whole being.

This experience makes me think about the Health Care Form Act.  It makes me  question the benefit of the universal coverage if the quality of that care is as good as my experience with Kaiser a health insurance that I actually pay for.  I am what I would consider a pretty informed person and tend to take an active role in my health through reading, asking and questioning decisions and recommendations made in regards to my health.  What will happen to the person that comes into the office and says all the acceptable answers and an opportunity to reach him/her has been missed because you have not engaged them and they have only told you what they think you want to hear.  They will end up not being any better off than if they did not have any health insurance in my opinion. I am all for universal coverage, my concern is making sure that care is beneficial to the recipient.  At this point I do not think my care was as good as it needs to be or should be at Kaiser.  I miss my former doctor who looked at me, engaged me, encouraged me and TALKED to me and LISTENED to me that is priceless.  Kaiser I need you to be better. 

My June Bed

Some people like really nice shoes I like a pretty and inviting bed.  and to accomplish that I change the duvet on my bed monthly.  For the month of June I choose West Elm Organic Reflections duvet and Euro sham.  The Euro sham has birds embroidered on it that I think add a nice touch to the duvet.  The only bad part about the duvet is in the process of putting it on I broke 3 of the buttons. The buttons are very fragile.  They are made of some type of very thin shell.

My First Triathlon - COMPLETED

It has been on my bucket list for years to complete a triathlon.  Well the last year of training  came to test today despite my bike accident mentioned here and the resulting hip pain that I have had ever since but nothing that God, prayer and some good pain meds cannot handle, thanks Kaiser for the never ending supply.   I participated in the My First Triathlon Triathlon today at Lake Lanier.  Please know I am currently exhausted however I wanted to get my feeling down today because tomorrow they will not be as fresh and I would just end up putting up pictures with no text.

I stayed at Legacy Lodge at Lake Lanier.  It was ok.  Unless you are going up to Lake Lanier for a specific event it is not worth the expense to spend the night at Lake Lanier.  I stayed there because I wanted to go up a day before and have my bearing on were everything was and not have to drive up the day of and go right into the triathlon.  It worked out well.  I woke up this morning and thought oh I need to eat something before I get this day started.  The Gang (includes mom, Luther, Rodrecus, Katrina, Michael and Iwilda) brought me up some fruit which was all I needed.   I actually never eat before I run, swim or bike so changing up the routine to much might not be that good.

I get my stuff laid out as the below picture depicts.  It helped between transitioning from one event to the next.  My number was 1123.  I will never forget that.  For my first triathlon my number was 1123.  My number will be hanging out on my door cork board for months I project.

Also you can see I have a new bike in this pictures.  I got it on Friday at Outback Bike once I realized my bike would not be repairable due to the bike accident I had a few weeks ago.   I got my last bike there, they have awesome sales people and there have lifetime tune-ups on your bike, an added bonus.  This bike is made my Marin Bikes.  A company in the United States in Marin County across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  I actually went there a few weeks ago while in San Francisco.  I like buying made in the US and by a  small business so it worked out well. This bike has two things that I like that my other bike did not have it has tire covers and an attachment to put my bag if I wanted to carry something along.

The first part of the triathlon was swimming 1/4 mile after having have to walk a 1/3 of a mile to get there in the sand.  The water was pretty murky as you can see below.  I was kicking people and people were kicking me in the beginning but as we thinned out it got better and went by pretty fast now that I think about it however when I was doing it I kept giving myself landmarks to get through to encourage myself along in addition to continually saying in my head I can do all things through Christ who give me strengths me - Philippians 4:13.

 my mom and I before I got in the water

making sure the goggles are ready to go

my head on all in the water!

After the swim I had to go up  few flights of stairs and a very steep hill, my hip (an injury that resulted from the accidented I mentioned here and I forgot to bring my paid meds, I am not looking forward to tommorow's soreness)  decided to have a twinge but I got thru it to reach the transition area to get my bike.  My dad was on the step watching me as I ran up.  He has some pretty cool pictures that I will share later when he lets me borrow his memory card.  What I had not trained for was putting on socks on wet feet with lots of sand on it and then putting on my shoes and bike helmet with any type of speed.  I got through it.

The bike portion was the longest portion and the toughest on my hip, I am not looking forward to the soreness tommorow.  The web site stated that there was only one major hill can I tell you there was a few MAJOR hills, I am thankful somebody created gear shifts. I remember growing up and my bike only had one shift my two feet pedaling it along or getting off the bike and walking along.  Here is the gang waiting on me get back from the bike portion.  It was 12 miles and I projected  an hour and twenty minutes.

Now the run I have to say was easy and hard.  Easy because I have been running 3 miles three days a week for the last 2 months thanks to my treadmill however hard because of the the sun and my hip injury.  It  had began to blaze and that adds a harder dimension to the run along with having just biked 12 miles.  My time was 2 hours and 19 minutes per the sign however it is less than that because I did not start exactly at 8:00.  I was in the last wave of swimmers to start and I think we started at about 8:30

We all got medals as we crossed and my nephew was kind enough to put mine on me. In addition, I have not participated in any type of race before however we got tracking devices to put on our ankles to give us our exact time I will know that tomorrow.  It is the black thing around my ankle.

Afterwards we all went to Highland Bakery for breakfast. I was hungry at first but then it went away. They had great food.  I have to go there when I have not exerted so much energy and indulgence after completing a triathlon seems counterintuitive.  

My dad had to leave for church so he did not make it to the celebratory brunch however I am thankful he was there.  Tim and Kamehi did not make it to the triathlon however I appreciated them coming out for brunch.  Family and friends are awesome!!!

My friend Adrian and her husband Ali came in while I was riding my bike on the road and kind of stayed out on the route and were able to take the really cool pictures below.

see that hill

towards the end of the run!

can I say I have never had Powerade before but oh my goodness it was delicious.  I had two of these I think I could have drank 5 easily. I do not know why I  being modest I should have gotten them!  All in all a great triathlon and I will definitely be participating it the My Next Triathlon next year.  I may do another one before the end of the summer depending on how my hip does.  I pushed myself to complete the triathlon today despite the accident, last year I did not compete and I was determined not to let anything stop me this year.  I am thankful to God for getting me thru and sustaining despite the devil trying to keep me from accomplishing a life long goal.   I could definitely do one every year. I would love some company feel free to join me in training!!!

Happy Birthday Luther

Sunday was Luther's Birthday. It does not look at day over ------. Well as part of my gift I made vega carrot cake cupcakes and vegan ice cream. I thought I would share my prep. I actually enjoy cooking and always aim to be vegan. One thing I thought about as I was making this is ohhhhhhhhh the sugar but let's not think about that now, here is my pictorial of the prep.

The Carrot Cake Recipe came from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick - Goudreau.  It is a great cookbook and she just released two other books that I will definitely be buying soon since I already have her Vegan Table which is awesome as well.  One thing I defnitely notice when I look at this picture is the whiteness ( no grain) so the next time I make this I will be making it wtih half wheat flour to add a little heartiness to it along with raw sugar instead of the white.  Everyone really enjoyed them and would not have even  guessed it was vegan which is a compliment among my animal eating family and friends!

I really like the colors in the above pictures it is just awesome. I cut down on my prep time by buying shoestring carrots already cut for me.

Mad three dozen cupcakes for the party! All of them were able to travel nicely in this cupcake carrier that I got from Williams Sonoma.  If you aare a cupcake party making chef or a mom with kids and always tasked with making cupcakes this will be very handy for you.  I have used it twice and it is very handy and ensures the icing is untouched and can easily place the trays in the fridge if needed. 

I am not overly fun of icing hence the cupcakes are not engulged in it. It is a nice accent so you can actually taste the cupcake and the icing at the same time.  I oh so hate when the icing is as tall as the cupcake.  I end up cutting the icing off the top and trashing it and leaving thin layer of icing. 

Friday Night Dinner _ Butter and Jam Bar

For Friday Night Dinner this week I decided to have a butter and jam bar.  I  set out 4 different butters - almond, cashew, creamy peanut and crunchy peanut butter and four jams - mango, blackberry, blood orange and my favorite strawberry, Crofter's jam was on sale this week at Whole Foods which was a plus they are so good and they us fair trade products, which means a lot to me.  Topping included bananas, raisins and dates.  Also had the panini press available to grill the butter and jam sandwich if you choose.  It was fun and we were all able to experience an old time favorite with a twist.  On the way to and from San Francisco I bought the kid's meal on Delta which included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I had not had one in so long I thought it was the best thing since whole grain bread.  Hence my idea was born - have a butter and jam bar!!!

Trip to San Francisco

I have spent the last few days in San Francisco. I think it was a great trip to get away and have a break from work, pottery barn and Morehouse.  I get to just come back to work and pottery barn, if I choose and I get to start focusing completely on my triathlon and renewing my hobby of sewing this summer.  I am really looking forward to getting back  into that.  I took a few pictures but not as many  pictures as I had hoped.  Here are a few

 Over Colorado

 Over Arizonia

 Over something cool, do you  know what that could be?

 the amazing hills

 Me in front of the Golden Gate Bridge

 it is  massive and amazing!!

in Chinatown,  I got to ride the bus through on Sunday which must have been the shopping day it had thousands of people out and then I got to walk through it later in the week which was a little less hectic

 Me again at the Golden Gate it was very windy the average temperature the entire time I was there was 60.

 Little bite of the history of the bridge, it is .8 miles across

 Took this in Japantown.  I had never seen street signs in another language other than English in the United States.  Japantown was very different then Chinatown

Driving across the Golden Gate bridge.  Did I mention how massive it is?

This is me on the Presidio compound.  The guy that created Star Wars, George Lucas bought this old Army Base and has turned it into a movie production stuff of sorts.  Here I am in front of Yoda from Star Wars.