11-29-14

Me: Harley is an excellent Black Friday shopper. Here she's showing off the purse I bought at Macy's  yesterday - 75% off. I like the long strap, zebra print & the two outer pockets for my phone & misc. Plus Harley says it goes with her outfit.

Bob & I had a nice day together. Morning swim & yoga, a nap, walk with Harley, a movie & a bit of yard work. All fun! I should note that the whole pumpkin pie that I gave Bob last night is now gone (it took Bob less than 15 hours to eat it all - I helped a little).

11-28-14

Me: Howard & I on top of Camelback Mountain. It had been 20 years since Howard hiked Camelback so we drove to the Echo trailhead at 5:30am, hiked 45 minutes in the dark & arrived just in time to see the sunrise at the summit. We hiked down the Cholla Trail (east side of the mtn) and ran 3 miles around the north side of Camelback to our car. Great job, Howard. Now that Ironman AZ is over we're mixing up his training with some fun hikes, P90X and Bikram yoga. Howard has some new goals for 2015 which includes another round at Arizona Ironman.

After hiking, I went shopping (yep, Wendy & I braved the mall on Black Friday). It actually wasn't so bad & I found a few Christmas gifts plus some home bedding - 70% off at Macy's (score!). :-)

While I was playing all day, Bob was working in the friendly skies. Thankfully he gets in tonight for a few days at home. I saved a whole pumpkin pie & whipped cream for just him. ;-)

Back in Iowa the big news was my 5 brothers gathering in Iowa City to attend the IOWA vs Nebraska  football game. Despite IOWA losing in overtime they had a GREAT time. It's not often that the 5 of them are able to be in the same place at once and be JUST them together. I believe it was Rod's idea and I think it was a good one. :-)

From L to R (oldest to youngest). Rod, Curt, Monte, Brent, Jim.

PS: Joan falls between Monte & Brent. Carol is after Jim. And I am after Carol.

• Rod lives in Des Moines and is retired from teaching, coaching and high school principal.
• Curt lives in Des Moines and is an Obstetrician in his own practice with some partner doctors.
• Monte lives just outside Elk Horn (where I grew up) and 14 miles from Atlantic (where my mom lives now). He is a farmer. His youngest son, Jacey is in his 1st year of farming with Monte.
• Brent lives in Rochester, MN and is a senior engineer for IBM
• Jim lives in Sunbury, PA and is a Physical Therapist in his own PT business.

The 3 of us girls live in Arizona (though Joan's primary home is in St. Charles, IL)

Each of us do a little bit of everything (haha). :-)

11-27-14

Me: Happy Thanksgiving! Here's "some" of us at Carol & Paul's today. 

Dean, Joan, Jeanne, Me, Connie, Carol, David, Nathan & Paul.

Wendy, Thor, April, Grace & Jesse attended too but missed out on the pics.

Just hanging out on the playset. ;-) 

It was a lovely day to gather! Great weather, good visits with family & friends, delicious food and a lengthly list of things to be thankful for!!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and wishing we could be in several places at once to share with  so many other special family & friends in our lives.

11-26-14

Me: It's about knowing when to run and when to rest.

With Thanksgiving Day tomorrow & Christmas around the corner I hope to find balance. This time of year is crazy and I want to do it all. I need to know when to run & when to rest. This is a good lesson from Harley (she has it down).

11-25-14

Me: Saw this at Nordstrom's yesterday and it sure made me laugh. :-)

11-24-14

Me: Rise & Shine!

"It only takes a spark…"

Two of my favorite camping photos from this weekend!

11-23-14

 Me: Sunday sunrise followed by bacon 4 breakfast.
Thank you neighbors, Heather & Mark!

 Sunday morning biking with Rich, Bill & Beth.
Thanks for coming out to ride!

 Sunday afternoon hike with Thor.
Thanks for driving from Scottsdale for the fun!

It was a great Sunday camping in the desert!!!

11-22-14

Me: Staycation at McDowell Mountain Park.

 Camper, husband, dog, hiking, biking, sunset, campfire, s'mores. CHECK. :-)

We are doing a little get-away not far from home. Friends are camping at the next site over. It's perfect weather and were having a great time!

11-21-14

Me: So I have a skunk story. On Wednesday Bob & I were getting dressed up to attend Highly's funeral. I had on a dress & Bob a shirt & tie. We thought Bob should bring a suit coat along so he grabbed a nice navy jacket that been handed down to him from our brother-in-law, Dean. Bob hadn't worn the jacket before but it fit perfectly & looked really nice (it had been hanging in our guest closet for a year). As we drove to the church Bob laid the jacket in the back of our car. When we got to the church Bob decided not to wear it as it was warm & others were in a shirt & tie only. A couple hours later after the service we got in the car. I got in first and noticed a strong skunk smell. It was awful!! Bob got in & he agreed the car was reeking of skunk. We rolled down the windows & turned on the air while we looked under the seat for something causing the smell. We wondered if Harley had been sprayed and maybe it rubbed off on the upholstery? But that didn't make sense…we would have noticed at home. Then Bob looked in the back of the car and saw Dean's suit coat and remembered…

Three years ago Dean and Joan's dog, Rudy had been sprayed by a skunk at their Chicago home. It happened the morning they had to drive 6 hours to Iowa for our nieces wedding (and they brought along their dog after several intense washes). Bob & I had flown back to Iowa for the same wedding and when we arrived Joan & Dean were still trying to rid Rudy of his skunk smell. Even when we rode in their car to the wedding we held our noses…those skunks stink up everything! Anyway…fast forward to Wednesday. Bob looked at Dean's jacket in the back of the car and said it must be that jacket and yep, it was!! We concluded Dean wore that jacket to our niece's wedding 3 years ago. Dean & Joan had been in their car for hours with a skunk sprayed dog as they drove to Iowa. It wore off on his clothes. And for 3 years the coat held that stink which we never noticed until it lay in a warm car for 2 hours. The revelation was hysterical. We just couldn't believe it. We called Joan & laughed so hard. As we drove away from the church we dropped off the navy suit coat in a McDonald's trash can.

11-20-14

Me: Does anyone else think this is mildly pathetic? Harley tucked in bed with her doggie blanket! No doubt our dog is spoiled. In fact, she prefers we don't call her a dog. A couple days ago we installed a doggie door for her to freely roam in & out the house (but she still likes us to open the door for her). When we bought our truck we shopped for the one that best suited Harley to sit on the console between the driver & passenger seat. Harley gets two walks/runs a day in the desert and rides in the car on most errands when the weather is cool. She is regularly groomed and rewarded with treats for her tricks (or for just being cute). We love this girl…can you tell? :-)

11-19-14

Me: A sad yet beautiful day as we celebrated the life of Highly Falkner. What an honor to witness the impact this man has made, which was evident by the stories shared from family & friends. Bob and I are so thankful for the times we shared with Highly cycling, hiking & hanging out. We learned a lot from this guy. Highly & his wife are pillars of faith, love, giving, family & fun. They've raised three amazing children who will carry on his legacy. We will miss you, Highly and draw inspiration from how you lived your life.

I want to make mention that Highly's funeral was amazing. The huge church was packed. The music and his children speaking was so touching. Afterwards, their gated neighborhood had blocked off a street for the reception. It really was something to see so many friends, family, & neighbors gathered to honor him. We stayed all afternoon to listen to stories as a stage and sound system was set up, food catered, and video photos rolling. It was a gorgeous Arizona day filled with tears and laughter. Sally (Highly's wife) was presented with a plaque from the City of Tempe mayor naming November 19th Highly Falkner Celebration of Life Day.

PS: On Sunday there was also a "Silent Ride" in Highly's honor. Bob along with over 200 cyclists attended. They biked to the accident site & laid white roses on the ground. Sally (Highly's wife), Kimo (one of Highly's best friends) and John (another best friend) spoke and we're incredibly uplifting. It too was a special time to be with loved ones.

11-18-14

Me: "All you need is LOVE and a DOG"

11-17-14

Me: Howard is an IRONMAN!

So after yesterday's post, I went back to cheer on Howard. He was still on the bike in those brutal wind conditions. Despite getting blown around on the bike course, he pushed through and made it to the run transition. I later found out Howard had stopped on the bike course to help a guy who had crashed (the guy was ok but Howard waited with him until help arrived). What a Good Samaritan!!

Howard left the 112 mile bike segment and put on his running shoes for the marathon. He was tired but never stopped smiling. His boys, girlfriend and office staff & friends were on course cheering him on too. While on the run, the day turned to night and the temperatures dropped. Spectators were in hats, coats & mittens while the athletes kept running. Howard was having great run splits up until mile 21. He was on track to break 16 hours. Unfortunately his body started rebelling with quads that wanted to quit. He walked as fast as he could and with 1 mile to go I met him en route to the finish. He introduced me to another competitor who was walking beside him. Linda from St. Louis. This was her first Ironman. I laughed as only Howard would strike up a real conversation with others while doing a race. He's the friendliest competitor I know! We tried to run but it was hard. So we walked and then tried to jog again. More walking. With a 1/2 mile to go we knew he wasn't going to break 16 hours but he still had a chance to beat his last year's IRONMAN time. So with everything he had he jogged and then ran as he turned the corner for the finish line. The crowd was loud and the announcer louder; "Here come's Howard Farran from Phoenix, Arizona. Howard, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!"

It's exhilarating when you hear that and everyone is cheering crazily. What an accomplishment. Congratulations, Howard!! You were awesome all day AND you beat last year's time!!

This year's AZ Ironman had the most DNF's (did not finish) of any past AZ Ironman. Two of Howard's dentist friends who were competing in the event didn't finish. So, even though Howard didn't meet his original time goal he is so happy and so am I. It was tough out there but Howard was tougher!

Congratulations, Howard!! You are a 2x Ironman!

11-16-14

Me: Today is the Ironman!! Howard along with about 3,000 athletes are competing in the 140.6 mile event in Tempe, AZ. Howard drinking Gatorade pre-race - 6:00am.

The swim is 2.4 miles. The bike is 112 miles. The run is 26.2 miles (a full marathon).

As of now (1:30pm), Howard is out of the water in 1 hour & 53 minutes (17 minutes faster than last year)! He's now on his 2nd lap of the bike course (3 laps total). Race temperatures are great but it's VERY windy. It's going to be a tough day biking.

I came home for a break but am heading down to the race venue again until he finishes (around 11pm or earlier we hope). Wish him & everyone else luck out there today!!

11-15-14

Me: Pillow Talk…

I'm striking out with pillows. We need to replace our old deflated pillows so I went shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Thought I found the perfect ones & I splurged because sleep is important. Higher price = better sleep. Right? (wrong). These had nice down filling but were too overstuffed. Back to the store to shop for different ones.
Any suggestions?

11-14-14

Me: Tough days around here as we constantly have the loss of Highly on our minds. We have been spending time with friends including cycling to the accident site yesterday. A roadside memorial has been placed there including a "ghost bike" (a bike painted all white) to bring notice that a loved one was tragically taken too soon. This was an avoidable accident had the driver not been drunk, speeding & driving erratically on a road that is a popular cycling area. We have such anger for the irresponsibility of people. Texting or calling while driving has also cost too many lives. Please do not drink & drive or text while driving. Please be safe.

11-13-14

Our amazing friend, Highly.

Highly led us up Mt. Sneffels on July 30th. Our favorite CO 14'er of the summer.

I don't even want to write this (I don't want it to be true) but on Wednesday afternoon we were called with the most sad news. Highly had been killed that morning while out riding his bike. We were and still are so shocked & devastated. To have Highly taken from us so suddenly and in such an awful (& avoidable) way is shattering to us, his MANY friends, his beautiful wife, Sally and their 3 children, son-in-law & extended family.

Us with Highly on top of Mt. Sneffels. July 30, 2014

The outpouring of support in the community has been incredible. Everyone who knew Highly thought the world of him. There are numerous posts on Facebook grieving his loss & describing Highly as one of thee best guys you'll ever meet. It's true. He was a man of integrity, wit, love for his wife & kids, walked his faith and active in their church, incredibly successful yet modest, generous & regularly gave to charities. His fitness level was at an elite level - he was a mountain & road cyclist, hiker, hunter & more. He was just a solid guy who always had a twinkle in his eye. Highly's absence leaves a huge void. Our heart aches for ourselves but especially for Sally & their children.

Highly, Bob, Me & Dean. Both Highly & Dean have 2nd homes in Telluride & are great friends. They hosted Team Vitesse for a mountain biking vacation a couple years ago. It was the best time! 

The past two days have been filled with tears, meeting with friends, gathering photos of Highly and talking about ways of honoring his life. His wife & family are lovingly surrounded with family & close friends. Highly's funeral & celebration of life is next week. We miss you so much already, Highly.

Thankful for the times we did share together (I just want more).

11-12-14

 Me: Happy Anniversary to our wonderful friends, Charlie and Karen.
They've been blessed with 31 years together.

Charlie & Karen are like family to us. So thankful they are in our lives!

Hope you had a great time celebrating in Ohio!

Photos from October 2012 when they visited us in AZ. :-)

11-11-14

Martin: Higher up on the same gate - complete with a hasty patch-up renovation job.

Me: First campfire of the season. Love'n the cool evenings!

Honoring our soldiers & veterans today (including my dad as well as many relatives & friends). It was neat to see Army, Navy, & Marine photos posted on Facebook with lovely sayings & poems expressing gratitude. Thank you to our great men & women of the United States Service!! Freedom rings because of you!