My camera charger has been missing since April. I found it last night. Once recharged this is the only photo on the camera. Must be I lost it the night of the Derek Trucks concert.

Go Cubs Go!

Jason won two tickets to the Cubs/Mets game in a silent auction. We joined some of his friends for lunch at Mullen's before the game. Our seats were right behind home plate and the weather was beautiful and crisp. The Cubs pulled off a great win, which made me happy because I could sing the "Go Cubs Go" song. We ended the day at Murphy's bleachers with a big group and some Old Styles. My last beer until race day-13 days away.

Epic Weekend

My training group had one last long day of training this weekend which was dubbed "Epic Saturday" We arrived at The Bus' lake house in Round Lake at 7am. Swam 1.6 miles, biked 90+ miles and then ran about a half hour. It went really well and relatively pain free. It built the confidence I need now that the race day count down has begun. Now it's time to taper and rest up!



I got back to the city by 6pm and quickly made it over to Julie's going away party at Chaise Lounge. Julie is moving to Abu Dhabi for work for two years. It's sad to see her go, but looking forward to lots of great stories from her and maybe a visit!



Today Jason and I managed to get the best out of the city on a budget. We started with all you can eat brunch buffet in Wicker Park for only $12. Then headed to the Garfield Park Conservatory. It's much smaller than the Botanical gardens, but closer to the city, free and still pretty impressive. The weather was beautiful so we decided to sit out side this afternoon and have an ice cold Oberon at a brand new resturant/bar in his neighborhood called "Clutch." I'm exhausted now, but it was a great weekend!

Marcy's Wedding

I'm a few weeks behind, but here are the few photos I captured Marcy's wedding. It was, as the invitation boasted "a unique cultural experience." The wedding took place on a lake outside of Kalamazoo (complete with a keg of Oberon). It had stormed the entire day, but the weather cleared in time for an outdoor ceremony which blended Muslim and Christian traditions.
Marcy and the bridesmaids all had henna. Marcy wore white but had traditional Pakistani jewels. The bridesmaids all had red dresses with red and gold dangling earrings.
The ceremony included readings from both religions, a mixing of the sand instead of lighting of unity candle. The food was catered by an Indian restaurant complete with mango ice cream for desert. Filet and vegetables were also offered.
The reception tent was colorful. The DJ played music from both cultures. It was nice to catch up with old friends and be back in Michigan for the weekend!
THE HAPPY COUPLE.

Thanks to Natalie for showing this one to me....

Ironman Part 9: Enduring the Elements

While the rest of my training group traveled to Madison again this weekend, I headed to Michigan for Marcy's Wedding (I'll blog about that later).

I had planned to get in a long open water swim early in the morning, but a huge all day long thunderstorm hindered my plans. My dad and I sat watching the radar until there was a break in the lightening and I quickly jumped out there for a 2.2 mile swim. Dad kayaked along side to protect me from the barefoot skiers and watch out for lightening for me. He also provided entertainment by wearing a bright pink rain jacket and hollering things at me- when I stopped for a break he screamed "KEEP MOVING" and when I inhaled water he laughed "Breath air, not water!" It also helped that he had a GPS on his watch so I new exactly how far we went.




Sunday the thunderstorms were replaced by 90 degree heat and dense humidity. I set out early fueled with plenty of gatorade and water for my 8 hour bike ride. Mom met me out on my course 4 separate times to check on me, bring me cold water and pretzels which I proceeded to suck all the salt off and then throw on the side of the road. It was a tough ride, but it was nice to have my family's support. I made it 112 miles an average of 13.9 mph. Not too bad for a hilly and hot day.




We ended to weekend with my favorite summer meal by the lake before another severe thunderstorm rolled in. I'm looking forward to having more time to relax with the family, but it was nice to have a brief visit!!

Pete Yorn Concert

Last night I went to see Pete Yorn at Park West. I was not really familiar with his music before the show, only that he has an album with Scarlett Johansson. The tickets were only $26, and Jason was going with a bunch of his friends, so I figured why not! Anyhow, the show was great. The music was spectacular, looks like I'll need to be visiting the Itunes store soon.

Virology Journal

I'm happy to report that amidst my training and socializing, I do still actually accomplish something at work. My research was published in this month's Virology Journal.

Here is the link in case you have insomnia and need something to put you to sleep:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=19604376

I also found out today I will be presenting at The American Association of Liver Disease's meeting in Boston this coming October. YEAH! Boston here I come.