Dungeon Living

Monday morning I got a text from Derrick that said "How was the first night in the dungeon?" Until then, I had not really thought of our space at the Hoods as a "dungeon." It's actually very comfortable, mainly because Derrick has done a great job on the work down there and Allison did a great job setting things up so that it feel like "home." I will tell you one thing for sure though, it is extremely dark down there! On Tuesday morning Cooper woke up about 6am and in a very inquisitive voice he said "Daddy," as if to make sure I was there. When I answered him his next question was "Can I get up?" This probably this stems from the fact that we often tell him he can't get up until the sun comes up. Since there is no windows in in the basement, Cooper has no idea whether or not the sun is up. After feeling our way around the room the first two nights, we decided we needed a night light. Thankfully Heather had one we could use. It made a big difference and at least now we can see to get around when the lights are off downstairs.

We're Moved

Well, we closed. Last Friday around 1:30pm Allison and I signed the documents selling our first house. This was the first home we owned. This is the first home that Cooper has known. Our neighbors were awesome, the neighborhood is great, and it is close to several members of our family and other friends. But, it was time to move. We have our reasons and we feel that it was the right thing to do, but that didn't make it any easier. I was actually surprised at how tough it was to leave. Especially when my neighbors come over just as I was walking through the house for the last time. The buyer is getting a good house, in a good neighborhood, with great neighbors. I hope he appreciates it as much as Allison and I did, and always will.

Triathlons

Since Allison was in law school I have said I want to do a triathlon. We had a few friends that she was in school with that competed in them and that's what put the idea in my head. When we moved to Nashville and I went to work at FMC, one of the partners there competed in triathlons. By that time I was running quite a bit and the idea became a little stronger. Last year I put it on my goal list for the year, but put it off until it was too late to get one in before it got too cold.

Well, this year I did it. I competed in the Music City Triathlon in July and the Cedars of Lebanon Triathlon this past Saturday. I had two really good experiences, although they were both very different. I believe the main difference was the weather. Both days were sunny, however, the temperature at Music City was probably over 80 degrees before I even got in the water and the temperature at Cedars was probably only about 80 degrees when I finished the race. The other difference is probably the most evident: swimming in the river vs. swimming in a pool. I am glad for the experience that I got swimming in the river, but swimming in the pool was definitely easier and made the transition to the bike a little more palatable.

As it happened with running, I think I have caught the bug. I enjoyed the change of pace that you get with three separate events in one race. While I would love to think that one day I can complete an Iron Man distance, but I am not sure that will ever happen. The amount of time and effort that takes is unfathomable. What I can tell you is that I am already thinking about which triathlons I want to compete in next season. My goal for next year is to complete at least one intermediate or Olympic distance triathlon and based on that I will try to figure out if a longer distance is even worth considering. The next race I will be competing in is the Middle Half. This will be the second year that Allison and I have competed in this race. We also have several friends that will be there. That should make it even more fun. And as that race relates to triathlons, a half-marathon is the third leg of a half Iron Man. Maybe one day...