Fun ride today. As usual, we went out Marine Drive to Troutdale and back, about 20 miles. Also as usual was the wind. I pulled most of the way out, and all the way back. I told hubby that he could pull again in September. Part-way out, I had to slow down to about 22 (just couldn't hold 23-24 any more) - turns out hubby was back there thinking "thank goodness!!" LOL

On the way back, we were headed into the wind. UGH! What started out as a strong 20mph, eventually became a grinding painful wheezing 16.5. According to hubby I was looking strong and appeared to be having no problems. Good that I can make it look easy I guess. We ended up "sprinting" to the bridge. I was going 16-ish, hubby passes me. I am determined that this should not happen. I pass him going 17, but can't hold it, he passes me again. I pass him, and at the very last he passes me. So we are battling it out... going 16 or 17. So funny. For us that is quite slow. The wind was awful. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

I'm excited that all my swim practice was evident. :) Dara Torres does not need to worry just yet though. I'm hoping that soon I will need to learn flip turns because I don't need to rest at each end anymore. It's the little steps that add up.

Today was an expensive day. Just after midnight Kona (my corgi) came running around the corner of my desk and went halfway up the stairs to the landing and had a gawdawful sneezing fit. Couldn't stop. Definitely something up her snert. Back to back sneezing fits. Left eye squeezed shut, salivating all over the place. Not good. So it was off to the emergency vet, and at 1:30 we got teh estimate (HOLY MOTHER OF SNEEZING FITS!!!) and left her there for them to anesthetize her heavily so they could go look up her nose. Of course, by now she is not sneezing, just looking a bit squinty on the left. It's really hard to spend that much $$$$ on a guess.

By 2am we were home, and then at 6am, the vet called and said that she was fine, but that they had taken a giant foxtail out of her nose. When we went to pick her up, the vet admitted that she had wondered if she would find anything as Kona had completely stopped sneezing. (Maye she had sneezed it out?) But when she went up in there to look, it was bright angry red all in there and she pulled out TWO ginormous foxtail seeds. No joke nearly 2" long. Foxtail seeds are horrible things. They travel along the path of the point, have barbs all along them likelittle fishhooks so they can't move backward, and have to be surgically removed. Untreated they just keep travelling until eventually they hit something important: eyes, heart, brain, lungs: and become infected along the way. Good that we took her immediately.

Saw my new co-worker on the path, and waved. We were both surprised when we compared addresses the other day. We have lived a block away from each other for about 12 years. Never knew each other until we started working together a week or so ago. Funny.

We went to the St. Paul Rodeo tonight. It's been YEARS since I went to a small-town rodeo, and hubby has never been. It was different than I remember. More commercial. I think we may need to go to the Ontario or Vale rodeos. My favorite parts were the chuckwagon races and the 'wild' cow milking contest.

Yay! I got some swim practice in. :) Sunday is my next lesson. Hopefully I wasn't practicing all wrong. My coach tried out for the Olympic Trials - unfortunately he missed it by .2 seconds. I'm bummed for him. He is older than I am by a few years. I am awed and inspired that us "old" people (i.e. older that 20s) are still that incredibly competitive. Dara Torres just made it to her 5th Olympics (swimming). She is 41. WOW!!! That is so COOL!!! Gives me hope that I can improve my own swim time. Fortunately, there's plenty of room for improvement.

And if I can't improve my swim time, I'd settle for looking like her. :)

I got him! Hahahahaha. I waited until we were doing bicep curls.
Me: Did you get your tickets?
Trainer: Blank stare... to what?
Me: (flexing) To the GUN SHOW!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

I am a total dork, but that really makes me laugh. I got hubby with it yesterday. My trainer gave me another one that I can use on my brother:

Do you know of a good veterinarian?
Uh... why?
Cuz these PYTHONS are sick!!! 

I am easily amused. :)

Thursday Night Ride tonight - as long as it isn't doing a lightning show like last night. My poor little Kona was shaking like a little furry leaf. One of the lightning crashes lit up our bedroom like daytime and sounded like it took the front porch off the house. That was about 3:15am. Ugh. Hard to sleep with a little dog barking.