13

Dude. Where on earth did the last thirteen years go?

It kills me that I had to move away when you were only one, and I didn't move back until you turned twelve. That's over ten years of your life that I had to observe from long-distance (and yep, I'm still a little cranky about it, if I'm being honest.)

And now, I look up, and you've turned thirteen??? How did that happen???

I've watched you pretty close this past year, and I've seen the young man you're becoming. Mostly polite, mostly funny, mostly respectful, mostly friendly. And the *other* part, the part that isn't mostly, I have to take your mom's word on it .... because to me, you are all of those things, all of the time, and I'm so proud of you for it.

I owe you some thanks as well, because whether you realize it or not, you have three younger cousins here who pretty much think you walk on water. So thanks for your patience with them, and for letting them tag along on your life in general.

Now, I'm going to tell you what I tell my own kids ---- stop getting older, or I'm going to put a book on your head to keep you from growing any more. I already missed over ten years --- I don't want these next years to fly by too quickly.

Dear Landon,

Have I mentioned how much you totally rock?



This was your first year to play football -- ever -- and I've got to admit, when your mom told me you were going to play, my first thought was, "Hmmmm. Really? Landon???"

Not because you don't like sports --- you do. And not because you're not athletic --- you are. I've certainly watched enough of your baseball and basketball games this past year to know you were physically capable of playing.



It was more your temperament that had me a little surprised you wanted to play football. I mean, you're a great kid, no question about it .... but you're sort of laid back. Quiet. Some would even call you shy or reticent.

Apparently, those traits fall FAR by the wayside on the football field, and I shouldn't have worried at all. I mean, what happened to the kid who doesn't have a mean bone in his body? Who gently collects every lizard and spider he catches as a pet? Who rarely speaks up, or has never voiced an opinion in front of me? You know, "The Quiet One", as I always called you .....


Look at you ... you're all up in his grill.


And all up in *his* grill ....



And all, "dude, if I catch you, I'm going to totally be up in **your** grill" ...



And then all, "no way are you getting up in MY grill" ....

I mean, you came alive on the football field this year. Who knew??? But I'm so very proud of you, and am thrilled you found yet another sport you enjoy.



You rock, little man, and Aunt Kristie loves you for it.

Dear Dalton,

Have I mentioned how much you totally rock?



This was your second year of middle school football ... the first year where your team actually played games against other schools.



You're not the tallest boy on the team, obviously. You're also not the heaviest.

You might, however, be the one who is enjoying himself most.



You are always -- ALWAYS -- excited for practice, and games, and give it 150 percent. Even the coaches say you are an ideal player .... Twelve years old, and 72 pounds of pure heart.



Never giving up, never quitting, never complaining. Which is good, considering it was sort of a rough season for you boys. But I admired your attitude and perseverance.



I also admired how you were always willing to do whatever the coaches asked you to do .... whether that was play defense, trying to take down boys much larger than you (thank goodness you're so speedy!) or play offense, hoping for that touchdown pass to come your way ....



Mainly, I admired that after last night's game ... the last of the season ... even though your team got creamed, you came off the field and said simply, "That was fun; I just love playing." The size of your attitude is what matters, dude, and yours is without a doubt big enough that it will take you places.

You rock, little man, and Aunt Kristie loves you for it.



PS. You look awfully cute in your uniform, too, but I would never embarrass you by saying that out loud.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love these guys?

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my nephews? And how proud I am that they’re willing to try new things (well, except for tomatoes … nephew #2 has a *thing* about tomatoes) and expand their horizons and challenge themselves?

You might remember my oldest nephew competed in a local youth triathlon a few weeks ago, and his younger brother decided to join him in another one yesterday. I showed up in my token role as “photographer”, and thought I would give you a visual play-by-play of how the events unfolded.



Dalton: "Hey, look, those swim lessons paid off! I can totally stick my face in the water and breathe properly .... which is a good thing, because this 200 meter swim is a lot farther than it looks when you're standing on the side of the pool."



"OK, that actually went better than I thought. Lord knows if it had been Aunt Kristie the lifeguards would have had to throw her a floatie."



Landon: "Hmmm, Dalton said the swim was the hard part, but you know what? I totally rocked. Do you see me? Huh, do you see me? I even passed several guys who started before me ... I think these triathlons just might be my new thing."



"Yep, happy, happy, happy. I love this! Love triathlons! Love, love, LOVE them!"



"Well, sure, I had to borrow this bike for the 6-mile bike ride .... but I gained so much time in the swimming part of the race that I'm sure things will be fine."



"You know .... I am starting to not feel very good."



"Ummmmm ..... does anyone see anything wrong with this bike besides me?"



"Ok, hold the phone. This bike is borrowed, and broken. Could no-one have mentioned the gears are stripped, or the chain is busted, or whatever the heck is wrong with this bike???? I am pedaling about eight-thousand-MILLION rotations with my little legs pumping just as fast as they can go, and the pedals are SPINNING like crazy, but I'm not actually going anywhere!!! I have to ride HOW MANY MILES on this thing????"




Official race guy: "Dude. What on earth is wrong with that bike??? Are you aware that you've got four and five year olds passing you on the race course? A little girl with training wheels and a pink basket on her bike just passed you."



"Hey, man, I think maybe there was something wrong with Landon's bike ... I lapped him like three or four times on the course. I can't worry about that now, though, I've got to run. Run like a gazelle, run like the wind, run like ..... seriously, I am not feeling well."



"Dudes. I just yakked all over the race course." *



"For the love of Pete, could this BE a more miserable experience??? #*$&#(*&$ bike was #*$&#(*&$ BROKEN and now I am in absolute last place and I hate, hate, HATE triathlons!!!" **



"Seriously. Worst experience of my young life."



Landon: "That sucked."
Kellen: "Hey, at least you tried. I just sat here and watched and ate Skittles."


* Don't feel bad, Dalton. Kids were yakking all over the place. Must have something to do with swimming 200 meters, biking for six miles, and running a mile in 90 degree weather.

** I am KIDDING! My nephews don't talk like this!! I, however, DO. In all honesty, he was so upset afterwards about the difficulties with the bike ... just embarrassed and frustrated ... truly, it was like he was riding a little clown bike, and pedaling for all he was worth, six laps around, in front of the other kids, and parents, and race officials, and everyone was watching him with sympathy on their faces, wincing at the sight of him riding for all he was worth and going nowhere. It was just So. Sad. So I walked up to him afterwards and said, "Hey, buddy, I know your mom and dad don't cuss, but you know Aunt Kristie does. So let me just tell you .... you KICKED ASS in the swim and the run. You just had equipment problems with the bike and that's what messed you up. Don't feel bad about that, it wasn't your fault." Shockingly, even *that* motivational speech didn't do much to cheer him up.

But you know that "willingness to try new things" I mentioned as one of the things I love about my nephews? Well, by the end of the day, they had both not only decided to run the next triathlon as well, they had even convinced their cousin Kellen to join them.

Dear Lord in Heaven, the boy is going to need a swim lesson, or I'm afraid he'll sink like a stone.

Whew! I'm Exhausted!

OK, now, those of you who have read this blog for a while know that I don't like to brag on myself. I mean, sure, it's common knowledge that I'm a complete health nut, and that I exercise all the time, and I'm so fit and buff and in great shape, and have a totally killer body, blah blah blah, but I try not to be too vocal about it. Just seems sort of rude and show-off-y, if you know what I mean. It's hard enough being the perfect specimen that I am ... no need to rub people's noses in it.

But, I'm so thrilled about what happened this weekend that I just can't keep from sharing it with all of you. I have no doubt you'll be just as thrilled for me, and happy to see the photos.

Although I work out -- LIKE A DOG -- all the time (how else do you think I keep this figure???) I've never really pushed myself like I did yesterday. Pushed myself to my physical and mental limits ... and if I say so myself, proved what an AWESOME example of true physical fitness I am.

I competed in my very first -- but not my last, rest assured -- triathlon this weekend --- and I kicked butt! First place for my age group -- woohoo!!!

Here's proof:


Here I am waiting in line for the first portion of the triathlon, the 100 yard freestyle swim. I'll admit, I was feeling a little nervous since I'd never done anything like this before, but I just kept telling myself how awesome I am and that everything would be ok:




And this is me in the water, completing the third lane. Sure, swimming might not be my forte, but since they didn't have to throw me any floaties, I felt pretty good about it:




After the swim portion of the event, we had to run outside and head to our bikes, for the 3-mile bike ride. Please pay no attention to the fact I am running topless --- there is less wind resistance that way and I can go faster:




Safety being the utmost concern, of course, I took the time to put on my bike helmet before taking off. All the race participants took off from the swim start in 15-second intervals, so at this point we were still pretty evenly spaced:




I was a little nervous when I saw some of the kids wearing hundred-dollar aerodynamic helmets, riding atop fifteen-hundred dollar bikes (so the adult triathlon participant standing next to her said to my Aunt Kristie. Er, I mean, said to ME) This was the part of the race that was hardest for the bystanders, because the 3-mile course was all completed away from the complex, so they had no idea if I would be in last place, or first place, or anywhere in between, until I showed up:




Well, the kids with the fancy-schmancy bikes *did* have a bit of an advantage, and I had maybe fallen a bit behind in the bike race. Or maybe not. It's difficult to tell, with the staggered starts like that. But here is where I got off my bike and started the one-mile run. You can see my mom ...um, I mean, my SISTER .... pointing direction and helping me find the race course. (Somebody parked his white truck right at the entrance to the foot path, so all the contestants were sort of confused about where the run should begin):




Here, though, is where I shone. Shone like the star I am. I might be chubby, but I can run like a gazelle, and I made up ALL the time in the run, passing kids left and right. Again, you don't really know where you are finishing because the kid who finishes in front of you could have started out way in front of you, or way behind you. Likewise for the kids who finish behind you. Maybe they started WAY behind you and made up lots of time. Although I think that would be difficult, because let me repeat -- I am a running ROCK STAR!!!:




Whew! I gotta admit, even someone in as fine of physical condition as ME is winded at the end! 100 yard swim, 3 mile bike ride, and 1 mile run --- my time was 22 minutes. Now we just had to stand around, wait for the other kids to finish, and see how my overall time compared to everyone else's:




I DID IT!!!! I TOTALLY ROCK!!!! I WON FIRST PLACE!!!!!!



Wait, what do you mean you guys aren't falling for any of this? What's not believable? The part about how fit I am? Or how fast I am? Or what an awesome swimmer and bicycler I am???

OK --- fine. I'll confess.

It was my nephew Dalton.

*HE* totally rocks --- *HE* is the awesome athlete --- *HE* is the one who won his first ever triathlon yesterday:



But you know what? I am a proud Aunt, and I ran around that course taking pictures and yelling encouragement like a crazy person. It was really hot and sunny and I TOTALLY starting sweating a little bit, and I think I deserve a medal for that, too.