StinkyLemsky: A Child of the 80s Grows Up

Weekend at the Wineries, Part 4

This year, since we had already done the tasting at Stone Hill Friday night before dinner, we figured we could skip Stone Hill Saturday morning & try something new instead. We decided we'll try a new winery every year until we've seen all of them, in fact! So, we found some directions in a brochure at the B&B and headed up the windy gravel path to Oak Glenn.

 

The site looked relatively new, and the views - overlooking the Missouri River - were breathtaking.

 

 

Gorgeous, right? Mitch and I decided to leave the picnic basked in the car while we headed inside to do some tastings and settled on a bottle of relatively sweet white wine with a peachy undertone - not quite as sweet as a reisling, but not very dry either.It was the perfect compliment to our lunch!

 

Oh, man! I am salivating just remembering the spread! We had sliced apples, salami, summer sausage, crackers & cheese & two small baguettes. MMMM. Before we knew it, we had finished the bottle & wanted to head out to our final destination - Hermanhoff Winery - for our afternoon festivities. While Oak Glenn was a short drive away, Hermanhoff was within walking distance so that night we could both drink and not have to worry about who would drive home to the B&B.

Weekend at the Wineries, Part 3

My apologies for the lack of posting - work was absolutely kicking my hiney this week! (To the point where I'd be scarfing down lunch at 2pm and having to force myself to stop working ten hours into my day). I also had a girls' night out on Tuesday night, dinner at my grandmother's house Wednesday night, dinner out with some good friends Thursday night, and then spent the weekend with my sister in law who was in town from Ohio. Shew! Can you see why I didn't have time to write?!

Anyway, I wanted to tell you more about our dinner the first night at Hermann.

We ate at the Vintage Restaurant at Stone Hill winery & it was absolutely fantastic. It's such a quaint restaurant - the inside is a renovated barn and there's just so much character to the place.

 

They even left the hooks where the saddles would hang & you can use them as a coat hanger if you'd like. We had the earliest reservation & by the time we left the place was packed.

 

Well, hello there handsome! Dinner was FANTASTIC and it was a fun & romantic time to catch up and reminisce about the last year and a half together. After dinner we headed back to the B&B to watch a movie & just snuggle up with no cell phones or internet to interrupt us!

The next morning, we woke up early & enjoyed our room service breakfast before heading out for a bike ride on the Katy Trail.

 

It was so yummy! It rained a lot this weekend, so we were too nervous to bring our camera on the bike ride, but we did snap a few pics before heading out.

 

 

 

Because of all the rain, the trail was ROUGH! We had to divert our path a few times due to water over the trail, and only rode about ten miles instead of the twelve I think we would have ridden otherwise. The pace was slow moving, but it was fun to be the only ones out on the trail. We even saw a bona fide water fall! Once we got back to the truck it was time to head "home" and take a shower so we could head to the next winery. (To be continued!)

Weekend at the Wineries, Part II

As we pulled into historic Hermann, I started getting really excited. Mitch and I had a whole weekend to spend together - with our Blackberries turned off & officially disconnected from the world. Plus, we had stayed at the same B&B the year before, so I knew we were in for a treat!

 

It's like our own little cottage in the middle of nowhwere... no eating breakfast or sharing a bathroom with strangers for us! The layout of our room was great- first you walk into the bedroom, with its adjoining bathroom, then you have an entire separate room of living space with a jacuzzi tub, couch, fridge, microwave... well, maybe it would be easier if I just showed you:

 

See what I mean? It's the perfect little getaway! We don't even have to check in, they just leave the door unlocked & bring breakfast right to your room the next morning. After unpacking a bit, we decided to head up to Stone Hill a little early and do a wine tasting.

 

The scenery is just beatiful - with vines running right up the the road. The first time we visited, I knew I had to convince my youngest sister to get married here. Um, no - she's not like dating anyone or anything, but why should that stop me from picking out her wedding venue? That's how Mitch and I found our church - my older sister had attended a wedding there & just knew it would "fit" us.

 

Sigh - isn't it beautiful? It's hard to capture the rolling hills of grapevines with my limited photography skills, but just trust me. Gorgeous! After sampling a few wines & deciding which ones to bring home with us, we had a few minutes to sit at the picnic tables and enjoy the view before dinner. We also just happened to get what we both decided was the best picture of us ever taken, hands down.

Stay tuned for Part 3!

Weekend at the Wineries, Part 1

My birthday started off just as I would have wanted... sleeping in and watching some Tivo. (Yes, that's right - my leisure time standards are pretty boring). Then, after a quick lunch of Chinese food with my mom and youngest sister, the hubs and I were off to the wineries. It was a trip planned to act as our birthday gift to each other (our second annual), and after we had SO MUCH FUN last year, we couldn't wait to return! Hermann is only about an hour from our house & it feels like our own little getaway.

 

Well, hello there cutie! Shortly after I took this photo I had to follow the paparazzi rule and take one of myself.

 

Disclaimer: Yes, I realize those sunglasses are hideous. What can I say? They were free.  

In other news, if you were wondering how much stuff two people need for 2 nights at the wineries, the answer is: A lot.

'

The final tally? Two bikes, helmets, two suitcases, one picnic basket, two lawn chairs, one cooler, one bag of groceries, and one large blanket. And a partridge in a pear tree... I felt like I was filming an episode of Jon & Kate ("and those are our vitamins because we won't be eating organic.").

Really, though, I'm too tired to string a completely coherent paragraph together at this point, but stay tuned. I'll have lots of pictures of our trip & a complete recap of each day. Time seems to stand still in Hermann, I feel like I've been gone a week!

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a shot of the courthouse. It sits on the riverfront just as you enter town and immediately makes you feel like you've been wisked away to a European (German to be exact) village via time warp. Or warp zone (Super Mario Brother style); when really you've barely reached the end of your favorite radio station broadcast limits.

I'm here, I promise!

Hi all - I'm taking a quick break (I'd be lying if I said part of my reasoning wasn't because I wanted to keep my triathlon story up a bit longer...) and I'll be back after the holiday. Mitch and I are going to spend the weekend at the wineries in Hermann, MO in a great little B&B cottage that we just love. I'll be back Monday with photos and a recap, I promise!

In the meantime, enjoy the holiday and have extra special fun on Friday since that's my birthday and all!

My first triathlon - Part 3

As I walked my bike into the transition area, I felt a little dazed. I had just finished the 21 mile ride in less than an hour and a half when I had planned on taking over two hours! I had averaged less than a 4:23 mile when my goal was 5 minutes!! (It's difficult to know my exact time and average because the race organizers tack on both of your transition times to the biking portion). I was FAR ahead of schedule, and I knew that I had enough energy left to finish five miles, even if I was forced to walk the whole way!

I met Ellen at the bike racks, and she helped me think clearly. Let's just say my brains were a little addled and I almost tried to put my hat on over my helmet! Hey, at least I had a good excuse for the shortage of brain power. After one more quick spray of sunscreen (still not a cloud to be seen), we were off!

 

I had to laugh when I spotted Mitch with the camera - he must have sprinted around the entire transition area to get from the bike-in portion to the run-out portion in time to take this picture! He deserved an award of his own after waking up at 5am & hanging out in the heat all day waiting for me to finish racing. Of course, he couldn't settle for just one picture... he snuck up on us again around the bend.

Well, hello there, Mitch! How'd you get there so fast?! For the rest of the race, I kept thinking I'd see him pop up out of a bush with the camera or something.

And the 5 miles, well - I'm not going to lie - it was tough. It was really, really tough. It was just SO HOT and even though 80% of the route was in the shade, the temperatures were starting to soar well above 90 degrees. Ellen and I had agreed to do 3 & 3 intervals of walking and jogging ahead of time. We had practiced together and it seemed to be a good fit for us. I don't have the best knees, and I was the most under-trained for running (my training had focused on my weaknesses of swimming and biking so much that they had quickly become my strengths - funny how that works). 

It quickly became apparent that I wasn't cut out for 3 & 3, so we switched it up to 2 & 2 - my legs had taken a beating from the 21 miles and were just operating on muscle memory at this point. Ellen was so understanding and was willing to do whatever I wanted to do - she said she was only there because I was & her team didn't care about timing, so we could just focus on crossing the finish line & that was that.

You'd think I'd feel bad about taking walking breaks during a triathlon, but if you had been there you'd understand. Probably 90% of the people racing with us were what I call "ST's," as in "Serious Triathletes." They had triathlon team jerseys on and lithe racing bodies and the newest, fanciest racing gear. These people had been around the tri-block if you know what I mean. And, of those 90% of racers? 50% of them were walking at least portions of the route. It was just necessary in the heat. As in, for survival. In fact, Ellen and I actually seemed to be taking the smartest strategy and were actually passing other racers!

Right about mile 4, I was pretty much hitting the wall. Ellen was chipper as can be - excited and thrilled to be nearing the end whereas I was just trying to put one foot in front of the other. At one point I said, "Okay, let's dial back the chipper-ness a notch," and got some laughter out of her. I was struggling. I was tired. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I was REALLY REALLY HOT. And yet, we continued on. Two more minutes, two more minutes. Just keep going.

Until...

Surely we weren't already at the finish line? Amazingly - we were! I told Ellen to go ahead and sprint, she deserved a celebratory finish!

 

And me? Well, I didn't really have a sprint left in my gas tank, but I managed a nice healthy jog across the finish line just the same.

 

I couldn't believe I had done it - it was OVER - I had acheived a goal that at many times had seemed out of my reach. Even a month prior to the race, I had considered dropping out and there I was at the finish line! Me, the antithesis of a "ST" or a "SR" (Serious Runner) - I had held my own and finished respectably. The finish line was still there and everything! There were still people behind me!  

 

All in all, I had averaged a 13:22 run. Yes, that's a slow mile pace - but when it's two hours into your workout in the blazing heat it's something to be darn proud of. My goal coming into the race was to finish between 3 1/2 hours and 3 3/4 hours.

My final time? 2:41:38, and I earned every single minute of it.   

My First Triathlon - Part 2

The comments on yesterdays post were great to read... Klutzymama - it took me about twelve minutes to finish the 500 meters. To give you an idea of my speed, my mom's teammate (an amazing swimmer) finished her 500 in just under 10 minutes and she was the 6th fastest swimmer in the WHOLE RACE. If she would have had open water & not been caught behind people once or twice, she'd have been even faster. Even though 78% of the racers had a faster swim time than me, I am still actually quite happy with 12 minutes. As far as Deb's comment about the hills goes, I had to giggle (for those of you who don't know, Deb is my mom).

Anyway, back to the story... I was climbing out of the pool and walking to the transition area when I heard Beth (my sister) tell me to run & not to slack off - so I picked up the pace. I couldn't help it, I was nervous about running onto the gravel / concrete barefoot! When I got to my bike I was still soaking wet and proceeded to run through my mental checklist... goggles & cap off (check), dry my feet, socks & shoes, sunscreen (why won't the bottle work?!), drink some water, HELMET, and finally bike (duh).

Prior to the race, I had attended a seminar at a local running store on beginner's triathlons - that's where I got the tip to bring a bucket to use as a seat to help get my shoes on. It also doubled as a convenient way to carry all my gear. This was probably the best advice I got because I didn't have to try to balance on one leg while I was drying my feet and tying my shoes!

After wrestling with the spray-on sunscreen cap for a good thirty seconds (it felt like an eternity!), I was ready to get my bike off the rack and head out!

 

You have to walk your bike to the edge of the transition area before mounting (it's a safety precaution). I really couldn't even tell you how long my transition took - probably less than two or three minutes. I was trying to be speedy without forgetting something crucial that would make my life more difficult over the next few hours (leaving a pebble in my sock or skipping the sunscreen, for example). It felt surreal as I smiled at Mitch and my sisters and headed onto the course.

Right away, I noticed I was riding significantly faster than my goal pace - even uphill. I had been training on a gravel trail (the Katy trail) for months and while I knew the road would be faster, I didn't realize how MUCH faster. My goal was an average of 5 minute miles, and right off the bat I was riding 3:30, 3:45 - all without a race bike! Yep, Mitch and I have road bikes - they're reasonably priced commuter bikes. Not exactly ideal for a triathlon, but it's not like I was in it to win it or anything. Um yeah - next time I'll be borrowing my mom's racing bike! People were FLYING by me and I know I could cut a huge amount of time if I was on a faster bike.

Once I hit the flat portion of the route (miles 3 to 18), I settled into a routine and stayed at a pace of around 4 minute miles. I was pushing hard and a bit nervous that I'd be out of steam for the five mile run ahead. Another idea passed on by my mom turned out to be a life saver... I had tied a bandana around my handlebar post and used it to dry my hands off as they got sweaty or wet from my water bottle. (I don't wear biking gloves). There's really no other way to describe the weather other than: it was hot. Vedy vedy hot. I was thanking my lucky stars that I had spent the last three weeks acclimating my body to the heat because that's really what got me through.

Seemingly before I knew it, I was heading back into town - coming up on the biggest hill of the race. I knew my training had prepared me for hills, but I was still nervous about tackling that giant - it was practically a mile long (and steep too). Right as I approached the base, another rider pulled up alongside me & made some small talk. That was one thing I noticed about this race compared to any others (5Ks, etc) I had done - there's really not a lot of spectators out on the route, so the other participants become your cheerleaders. Nearly EVERY person who passed me on the bike route said something encouraging as they went by. It was so motivating!

After chugging my way up the hill, I was within a third of a mile of the transition area and it was almost an HOUR earlier than anticipated.

I had to shout at my sister as I approached so she would be ready to run. (Even though my mom, her teammate, had finished an hour earlier, she had decided not to start her run until I got back. It was the nicest possible thing she could have done. Completely selfless). I fought back "the choke" as I walked my bike into the transition area - it was the first time I really let myself think I'd finish, and finish well. For months I had been convinced I would be the last one crossing the finish lines and had pleaded with my husband to make them keep the finish line up until I crossed. I couldn't believe there was only one obstacle in my way.

Well, five actually... five long miles in the soaring heat...

My first Triathlon - part 1

Well, my poor husband has already heard me recap every minute detail of the race, so he probably just died a little bit when he realized I was breaking my triathlon story into three parts. But, really, even if nobody reads this but myself, I still want to write about it. It was, after all, my FIRST triathlon. Let me tell you what, I was SO nervous. The heat index on the race was over 100 degrees and there was a heat advisory. Doesn't that just make you want to spend almost three hours racing outdoors?! In mostly zero shade?! With no clouds?! Saturday (the day before the race) my mom and I rode with Mitch and mapped out the bike route, so at least I knew what to expect - few hills, windy flats, and no shade. I was already familiar with the running path - which was (thank God) about 80% shaded.

So, Sunday morning - race day - arrived and I woke up bright and early at 5:00 am. My start time wasn't until 7:09 and thirty seconds (they start swimmers every 15 seconds so people don't get trampled), but I wanted to get up there with plenty of time to get my transition area settled and see my mom's team start at 6:08. Yes, you read that correctly, my mom raced too! She was on a team as the cyclist with a friend of ours (the swimmer) and my younger sister (the runner).

 Ellen and I pre-race.

AH! I am wearing the triathlon suit of dooooom. Well - actually I have to admit, it's a LOT less embarassing when you're surrounded by 300 other people wearing something very similar. So, I got the chance to see my mom's team start and cheered her on as she took off on the bike. Then, I waited in the stands with my hubby and my sisters (aka my cheering squad) before it was time to hit the pool deck.

 There I am down on the deck waiting for my turn. I was so so so nervous - checking out the people in front of and behind me & trying to determine if I'd need to pass anyone in the first few laps or if they'd need to pass me. I decided I would definitely be getting passed. I was lucky actually, as I had seen quite a few people who were obviously not prepared for the 500 and they were swimming sidestroke, breaststroke, doggy paddling, etc just to get through the swim. Not that I'm judging - they all probably run 4 minute miles, but my point is that it's hard to pass people who are swimming anything other than freestyle.

Only twenty two seconds until it's my turn! At this point I was trying to decide how to best jump into the water without my goggles flying off my head (you weren't allowed to dive in, you had to start in the water).

 And... I'm off! The swim was a "serpentine swim" which basically means that you have to duck under the lane rope at each end of the pool. It made me glad I hadn't stressed out about flip turns because they would have been difficult to do and not run into people. It took me a few laps to get the hang of things - I had started out too fast and couldn't get my breathing pace established. But, after a couple of laps (and once I got into the bigger lanes where I didn't have to worry about space quite so much), I really settled into a groove and felt like I could have gone longer.

 Before I knew it, it was time to get out of the pool. Can you see how the sun light was shining directly into the sliver of the pool by the ladder? I was blinded & couldn't see a thing! All I could think about was getting into the transition area and getting on my bike!

What? Like you haven't seen EVERY episode?

First of all, I have to say that Ashley was right on my last post! SCUBA stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus... and the television show I learned it from was the ever delightful, critically acclaimed, Boy Meets World. Ah, Cory Matthews - I miss your quirky interaction with Mr. Feeny and Topanga! I did have to head over to imdb.com to figure out how to spell Topanga's name though, just in case you thought I was some kind of crazed fan with Shawn Hunter's photo hanging over my bed or something. I'm pretty sure Mitch would object to that kind of display...

In other news... You may remember I've been steadily training (ie over the last six months) for a triathlon race that took place yesterday. I'll have a full recap tomorrow, but in the meantime let me just say... I did it!

What do you get for the guy who just finished six straight months of solid studying?

Why - more study material of course!

Yes, after Mitch finished his six hour exam two weeks ago, we all met up at a local restaurant for pizza and happy hour beers. I surprised him with the certification material for SCUBA lessons! Yes, that's right - Mitch and I will be getting SCUBA certified this month by my sister's boyfriend (don't worry - he actually lived in the Bahamas and taught SCUBA lessons for a living so he's definitely qualified. No bargain basement SCUBA lessons for me). Now, class - who can tell me what SCUBA stands for? Double extra bonus points if you can guess what t.v. show I learned the acronym definition from (no googling for the answer, play fair!). I shall answer the trivia in my next post and give away a most excellent prize of admiration and accolades wrapped in a shiny bow of approval to the winner.

Cheers honey!

Here's his group of ardent fans and groupies. Well, I guess I'm pretty much the only groupie. To my knowledge, that is. Of course, you can't keep this group pinned down to one location and the party eventually transitioned to our humble abode for the unofficial bar-opening party of 2009 and a cornhole tournament.

That's bag toss for those of you who aren't in the know. Oh, and if you were wondering, the OFFICIAL bar opening party will take place 6/27 - when I can drink again & partake in the festivities. (I haven't been drinking during the last month or so of race training). If you live in the area (or, if you're a stalker and have some frequent flier miles), you're totally invited.