Pinwheels, birthdays, and the TRI

Today we went outside for about an hour before naptime, I took one of the leftover pinwheels from The Toddleator's birthday party stuck it in the ground into the wind to facilitate that joyful spinning sparkle that IS the pinwheel. I find them mesmerizing, a pinwheel identifies my sunny childhood, blow on them....runnnn into the wind with them. Colorful glittery wheels of light and fun. Really symbolic of innocence, springtime, and childhood---at least for me. Miss Fiona proceeds to pretend Little Bear on a trike-ride, we play with her "puhple bahl", a much coveted and sought after large rubbery ball of the Target variety. Then it's time for hotdogs, nap, and playoff basketball, to which Gary is glued a majority of the time lately.

My birthday was a really nice day, I enjoyed it thoroughly. After breakfast we shopped some, then I got to take an impromtu shopping trip with a friend, happy birthday to me! I am a size 6! Never have I been a 6---thank you triathlon training! When I got home, Gary had successfully executed the assembly of a cup-cake with chocolate icing (there goes the 6), roses and music. We hung out and watched new movies.

Fiona's birthday morning was just as great. After assembling the required birthday items, namely birthday cup-CAKE, balloons, sodas, hot dogs, drinks, etc. partying commenced in the way the small people party....meaning sort of play n' scatter, group to get favors, scatter again, group to eat, and then 2 hours have passed and at least one kid threw up, someone is having an overtired meltdown somewhere and we all trickle away home. The weather was fantastic, Colorado really showing off the early spring. After the frenetic weather that is normal for April and May I think we got pretty lucky!

We enjoyed that weekend immensely. Then just one week until my race, I was in taper, and going a little batty what with all the extra time and energy. We left on Friday morning super early, drove to Utah, my race was Saturday, then we drove back and took it easy.
The race was pretty brutal, even by the standards of some veteran athletes I spoke to. The wind was gusting up to 35 mph, there were swells and white-caps in the reservoir where we swam. I FINISHED though, that's about all I could ask for. I did better than about 200 people that DNS (did not start). I'm only just now to the point where I figure, "yeah, I could do that again." No telling when I'll put another race on the calendar though, now that my volumes are decent, I'll enjoy a 5 mile run, a 20 mile cycle, or some pool training with my swim buddy. It's a way of life, and I like it!
This is my RaceReport on BeginnerTriathlete.com, and these are the race photos (*annoyed* what there ARE of them), and my times from the source.
See some other photos and the littlest cheerleader below....