{ hello 2014 }

Happy 2014, friends!

We welcomed the new year with a gathering of friends at our house on New Year's Eve.......parent style: beer, wine, pizza, kids and chaos. The kids all had a great time running around the house, jumping in the bouncy and just being crazy. O and S were up until 9:00 (which is late for them) and we didn't make it much later. In bed at 11:00 as we knew their internal alarm clocks weren't going to be delayed!

2013 was filled with lots of awesomeness......a getaway to Chicago, lots of trips to the lake and time with family, celebrating 3 year old birthdays, Lake Geneva with friends, the start of preschool, and two hip surgeries (not sure that is considered awesomeness except for the fact they are done!).

After having a few post Oliver and Stella summers off from running/tri-ing (pregnancy, newborns, injuries), 2013 was going to be my comeback summer. Despite the fact that I learned I had a torn hip in March, I still went forward with goals to complete the 5 triathlons I had signed up for (sprint by default since olympic would prove to be too much for the hip). I far exceeded the goals I had and landed on the podium in three races and PR'd my sprint time with a 1:18:29. The not so great part of the awesome race season was that it was most likely did my other hip in as that starting hurting in July.

Based on 2013, my 2014 goals would be more defined and loftier if it weren't for the setback of double hip surgeries. I am very optimistic about my rehab and recovery but at the same time, I need to be realistic and remind myself that it might be a slow road to getting back to "normal". My PT has told me it is often a year before most patients are back to what they were pre-surgery. With that in mind, my goal is to complete 2 sprint tris and 1 olympic tri this summer. Here is the tough part, my mentality of always "racing" needs to be switched to "completing". My competitive side is going to have a hard time with this but it is what my body needs as I continue to heal! I would also love to get out on my bike more in the "country". Time constraints usually leave me cruising along the greenway, parkway, or kenilworth but I would love to get more miles in by heading outside of the cities.

I have no doubt that 2014 will also bring about a lot of fun, new adventures with O and S. They are at a super fun age and outings seem to be getting easier and more manageable. In addition to learning letters, numbers, spanish, and music at school, they are ready to kick off the new year with gymnastics, swimming, and ballet.

Cheers to the new year!