Happy 4th!

Well, happy independence day, folks! It's a beautiful day in Kansas City! My day started with a cup of coffee...please note the mug of choice! My parents gave this to me the day before my Ironman (thanks mom and dad!)

I met Troy, Paul (swim coach) and Jennie out at Shawnee Mission Park for a bit of a ride. Had we planned a little more in advance, we could've rounded up more folks, but it sure was nice riding with other people. Troy and I want to know where this gorgeous weather was when we were doing our 7-hour rides? We also talked about how nice it was to just come out for fun. It's been a while since we were able to do that. I'm trying to do a little better about snapping pics, so I got a few when we were getting ready - the other one of Paul didn't come out, so all we have of him is the white car...

After the ride, Troy had to head home, but Jennie, Paul and I stopped at Panera for a little bite and some coffee! Apparently you have to get to Panera earlier if you want your pick of the bagels. They have like 20 different flavors, but by the time we got there, about 18 of those were gone. I also thought it was funny when I asked if I could get my bagel toasted, and the fella said, "you can toast it yourself and pointed around the corner." If you can believe it, I'm not sure I've ever actually eaten b'fast at Panera, so it was all a bit confusing to me. :-) We sat outside (again, it's gorgeous today!) and chatted about swimming, racing, work, life in general. It was a good time.



I thought I would post a little update before heading over to hang out with the folks this afternoon. Here are a couple more pics I haven't had a chance to put out here.
For those of you who haven't been lucky enough to see this purple toe in person, here is a pic of my purple toenail. This is my only "war wound" from the Ironman. The Ironman wristband has been cut off - I actually cut it off last Sunday morning. So sad. I wanted to wear it forever.




And, finally, the other day I was sitting at the computer typing, and Tucker came in here and started barking at my bike. He loves to push things with his nose, so I guess he pushed the pedal and the bike moved a bit - of course, he got scared and barked at it. So, I encouraged him on for a moment, while recording the fun. I really should shoot more video of him - he's a riot. This is just a tiny blurb or him barking at my bike...and a little of me laughing at him.