Happy Father's Day

I think no one could question these two men are our biological fathers, but more than that, no one would question that they have fathered us in a way other children could only hope for. We love you dads. We are thankful for all you have given us in life and the example you provide for us to emulate. Love, Ricky and Lindsay

Aperture

Ricky & I are on vacation this week in New Hampshire, and since his ileotibial band is irritated, we can't do much hiking. This has given me time to work on some hobbies, first of which is getting to know and love Aperture. I spent some time with Miles and Mor Mor. I hope you like it mom!

Ricky the Rhino

Ricky's first ever triathlon was completed on Saturday. He was awesome! After giving up on tennis and soccer for staying fit in New England, Ricky has turned himself into a triathlete. He jumped right into the Olympic distance, which was ~1mi swim, ~25mi bike, ~6mi run. Not only was it fun to see Ricky compete, but there were so many other people out there of all ages (one guy 69!), one paraplegic, and one visually impaired (rode tandem bike). I can't get over how impressive these people are, especially Ricky.

The Swim: This was Ricky's steepest learning curve, having never swam for sport, but we both had the most fun with it. After I smoked him in the pool, he started contemplating the bananahammock, but thankfully, we learned that the options are plentiful, and the best one for triathletes is a padded spandex (swim-bike-run) suit. We also learned that without a wetsuit, most people can't finish the race because they're so cold. I almost fell out of my chair the first time I saw him in it. By the way, he's definitely wearing it to the next batman movie.

The Bike: He trained mostly indoors and on an old clunker (so old they don't make that size wheel anymore), and at the last minute he decided to risk being a poser and rent one of the sleek triathlon bikes from a local shop. It was a sweet bike, one of the ones you can lift with 2 fingers. My favorite part was the big smile he had after completing the race.

The Run: Ricky irritated his ileotibial band about a month ago, and he hasn't been able to get it under control, so he had to walk most of the run, but he finished with a smile and a somersault for the crowd.

The Rhino: There is a special heavyweight group in triathlons, tactfully named "Athenas" for women >150lbs and "Clydesdales" for men >200lbs. Ricky's hoping to establish a new group, the Rhino.

Ian the Moose

This past weekend, Ricky competed in his first triathlon. Before I show you Ricky's photos (I know you're dying to see him in a wetsuit and bananahammock), I want to celebrate an awesome race run by this training sage, Ian. Ian gave Ricky some well-utilized, much appreciated advice, particularly on swimming in FRIGID water. Here is the man in action, taking a dip to start the race, erupting from the water, returning from the bike still looking fresh, and finishing strong.

Miles & Mor Mor

Our newest nephew, baby Miles, was born one month ago on May 3. He is long (22") and lean, and cute as can be. By May 30, every sister and my mother had flocked to San Diego to see him, hold him, smell him, and sit in awe of every movement he made. This is the first grandbaby for my mom (Mor Mor in Swedish is "mother's mother"), and being a Mor Mor suits her so well. Here she is rocking away, and Miles is loving it.

Spring!

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day in Boston! I have been convinced that it is definitely warming up, and there is hope for a beautiful spring. The trees are budding, the crocuses have pushed through the ground and bloomed. Springtime up here always fills me with a sense of hope, as the cold, dark, quiet winter gives way. Everything is put in motion. Especially obvious to me are the rowers and runners on the Charles River. Also in motion is frozen water starting to thaw. I'm taking this opportunity to post an old photo with a moving water theme (It's 5 years, if you can believe it, from our honeymoon in Maine, where this picture was taken.). I convinced Ricky to wear a helmet with me, having seen a others go overboard and suffer injuries. It wasn't until the slideshow at the end of the day that we realized that not only did we look like TOTAL dorks, but we were the ONLY ones on the entire trip to wear helmets.

Guten Tag

My big blue-eyed husband has taken off on an excursion to Germany, a European country where he can actually blend in. The mission is to fix a work-related problem, so hopefully the fix will come sooner than later and he can enjoy the trip a little. It struck me that it has been quite some time since the old medical school days of living 200 miles apart. I'm a little spoiled now. Since HE's the one that took off and left me here all by my lonesome, I'm going to take this opportunity to be mischievous. As many of you know, Ricky has been training for a triathlon. I'm so impressed with all his hard work, particularly in the swimming pool, where he doesn't have a tremendous amount of experience. Lately he's been working on "equipment." You might ask, "Just how much equipment can you use in a pool?" Well, he has upgraded in several areas, such as cheap plastic lap-counters to a watch that counts for you. He has bought a swim cap, and he's been shopping for a wet-suit. He has come a long way. Just because I think you'll be wondering by now...he's still the only one in the pool with swim trunks. (Excluding the drag from his trunks) nothing slows him down, even if the only pair of goggles left in the store belongs on a 10 year old girl. You'll be thankful to know he's made an upgrade since then, but aren't these fabulous? If I had the time to get on the sewing machine, he'd also be wearing a pink satin cape in this picture.