Rock on Rocketchix!!

This past weekend I participated in my very first triathlon. Well let me rephrase that, I participated in 1/3 of the triathlon. My sister in law, Cherith, is really into races and marathons and she encouraged me to participate. I love to swim and so I decided to get together two more girls to partake in the running and biking. So together with my best friend Kayce and my other sister in law Candice, we formed the dynamic trio! The race included a 350 swim in the frigid waters of the Natatorium, a 12 mile bike down LSU streets and concluded with a 2 mile run around the stadium.

It was an amazing experience. There were about 450 women that participated in the race and let me just tell you, they come in all shapes, sizes, ages and attitudes! It was so neat to see so many other gals working hard to reach the goal!

It was really one of the best days of my life! Well besides meeting and marrying my hubby.

It is amazing what we can do when we set our minds towards a goal. My ultimate goal is to one day do all three, but I am not sure that will happen in the near future.

I encourage you to look into these races, they are so much fun and everyone is so supportive and encouraging! Getting ready to start!!

Our triple threat triathlon team!

My amazing sister in law who completed the whole thing by herself and beat our team! Wow! She is super woman in my book!

Our handsome hunks cheering us on! My baby wasn't too thrilled with having to get up at 5:00 am, but he was such an encouragement to me!

Way to go girls! What an experience to remember and cherish!!

The Norm...Not the exception.

On Saturday, I went to my local pharmacy to pick up a prescription. At the pharmacy front desk, the young man checked me out and much to my dismay stated, "Ma'am that will be $68.00."

This is a medication that I take monthly and my previous prescription was only $9.00...a big difference in price. I picked my chin up off the floor and told him that I might need to contact my doctor because that was just too much to pay each month. He understood and proceeded to put the bag back up. Well...in the background, the pharmacist heard our discussion and came out to talk to me. He asked me about my insurance and tried to look up a way to reduce the amount by going generic. He didn't succeed and so I told him I'd just get with my doctor on Monday.

Later that afternoon, I received a voicemail. The pharmacist called me saying he had found a benefit program for my medication and all I had to do was fill out a form online, and I'd receive my medication for $5.00 a month for the next year. He left me the website address and everything. On Sunday, he called me again to make sure I had gotten his message and to see if I needed any assistance with the benefit program.

I went later that afternoon and picked up my new prescription for just $5.00.

It got me thinking. He didn't have to do all that research to find me a discount. He doesn't make any money off of the prescription that I buy. He could have just let me pay the $68.00 or find a new medication. He could have just stayed quiet back there and proceeded with his business.

But instead of letting it go, he went the extra mile. He went above and beyond.

It seems to me, these days, we are just getting by, by doing what we can for ourselves. We don't really think about going that extra mile or blessing someone else. Why is it that that kind of service towards one another is not the rule, but the exception? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

So my goal for this week...and hopefully you will join me...is to go above and beyond what is expected of me. To give someone an unexpected blessing. To let someone else know that their situation is important to me. I need to stop being so focused on my needs and my wants...but rather "how can I bless someone today?"

Let's work to make that the norm...not the exception.

Evidence

This my friends...is why dachshunds and ducks should never be buddies...

Case closed.

YeeHaw! Tennessee Fun!

This week our family took a vacation up to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The beauty of the mountains, the laughter and fellowship of family and the much needed relaxation made this a trip to remember! Take a look at the beauty the Lord has created. He is so imaginative and creative.
However, I am not so fond of His more "dangerous creations" like the ever present threat of bears...somehow these signs just unnerved me. I mean, the words "aggressive" and "inflicting serious death and injury" just don't really sit well with me. I giggle everytime I see these signs cause at the bottom it says "garbage killls bears", um...hello...here they are warning me about these vicious, deadly creatures and then in the same sentence they want me to care about the well-being of these bears...I don't think so.
My "wild at heart" hubby refuses to take a normal picture. I end up with a camera full of these poses... or ones like this...or even this...I swear, he can't just look at the camera and smile. On Tuesday night we went to see a show that featured Chinese acrobats and it was awesome! I was very impressed. Here I am posing with some of the cast. Nice outfits, guys.On another note, we enjoyed having our neices and nephew with us on the trip. They kept us laughing. However, I hope this next image is not an indication of the things to come for us when we have our own children...On Thursday, we went horseback riding down in the mountains. I can honestly say I will never become a rancher or farmer. Never have I been so up close and personal with so much bodily fluids that come spewing out. I swear, these horses have no shame whatsoever.

Christian's horse was named Freebird. Couldn't have picked a better horse for him...I laugh because that name fits him perfectly! Free as a bird.

The shows, the white water rafting, the family dinners, the hiking, the swimming, the horseback riding, the shopping...it was all perfect.

I give Tennessee a ten! Ha!

Stay tuned for more on our whitewater rafting trip!