Good news...

Gave blood today at the blood drive at work...as per normal blood-giving procedure, I had my blood pressure checked--118/56, which is far and away the lowest I've ever had. Bear in mind that about 2 1/2 years ago, my blood pressure topped out at about 145/95 when I was actually even on blood pressure medication. Amazing what dropping 105 lbs and exercising regularly will do (and I haven't needed meds for 2 years--even better!!)...

I had to laugh, though...I was so stunned and excited about it that I popped into my friend Theresa's cube to tell her (she's also a WW buddy and is one of my key WW supporters)...for a moment, I had a flashback to the commercial where the guy goes around telling everyone that he lowered his cholesterol. Made me smile...

Easy 6-miler this morning--not quite as cool out as it was yesterday, but it's supposed to be mid-40's tomorrow morning for my 3-miler...

Musings on Fall...

Fall is, without question, my very favorite season. College football is in full swing, leaves turn brilliant colors, the harvest begins and ends, and the delightfully unique smell of burning leaves cuts through the crisp cool air. This morning, it actually finally felt like fall--mid-50's and sunny when I went for my 3-miler with my friend Jeremy--cool enough that we were both chilly in shorts when we took off, but soon warmed up along the way. The fact that the weather is finally turning to fall had me grinning from ear to ear when we got back to the fitness center at work--like I said, fall is my favorite season of all. Nothing like a brisk morning run in the brisk autumn air to brighten one's spirits and soothe one's soul...

Today at our WW meeting (incidentally, the "points free Saturday" kicked me fairly hard--up 2 lbs, but it was still worth it), we talked about the power of self-talk and how it pertains to one's environment, capabilities, and, ultimately, to one's identity (I skipped a step in there, but I can't remember the fourth thing). Somehow, we ended up on the topic of exercise and how to move from self-talk of "I can't do this" or "I don't have time" to "I can and I will do this". Tracy (our WW leader) asked me how I got started exercising...truth is, it was about this time last year that I finally got up the nerve (with the help of Linda P., another WW buddy) to sign up for and start using the fitness center at work.

I can't remember the exact day, but it must have been a Tuesday as we had been discussing activity and exercise in our WW meeting, and I made a comment that I was scared to go to the fitness center--probably more intimidated than anything else. Linda offered to go with me to sign up, so we went down right after the meeting and I signed up. By the next afternoon, I had my first encounter with an elliptical machine (which lasted all of 6 minutes before I wanted to keel over) and reacquainted myself with a treadmill (nice easy walking)...and apparently the rest is history.

The discussion today around the whole concept of identity and what helps shape and define one's identity got me trying to figure out when I went from someone who needed to have my hand held to get me to the gym to someone who gets her butt out of bed and out the door by 6 am each day to swim, bike, or run before work, then often willingly goes out again after work for another workout, only to arrive home in time to eat, go to bed, and do it all over again. I don't know when that transition happened, but it most definitely did.

It's kind of funny, though...I've done a half marathon and numerous other shorter races, I run almost every day (at least these days), and yet I still don't consider myself a runner. Likewise, I've done 4 tri's (and did pretty well in those), but in my mind, I'm not a triathlete--just someone who happens to have done a few triathlons. Not sure when I'll actually move past the "capabilities" piece and into the "identity" realm where my athletic pursuits are concerned, but I have a feeling I'm getting closer every day. Don't think I'll have any issues accepting the Ironman identity when I cross the finish line, though...and maybe then I'll finally consider myself a triathlete.

Random musings as always...

Easy 3-miler today, plus core class and weights...6-miler on tap for tomorrow--it's supposed to be crisp and cool again tomorrow morning...I LOVE FALL!!!

Week 51 Wrap-up

This week was a "step back" week for my marathon training, so I had it pretty easy--worked out well with some stuff going on at work and the fact that I had a full social calendar yesterday (which, for the record, tends to be a very rare occurence). Overall, it was a good week--I found out early in the week that my dad and my sister will be in Orlando for the marathon--very cool. My dad's trip down there is actually a gift from my mom--she wants us to have a father/daughter weekend, which will be awesome. It'll be great having them there cheering me (and the other R&D folks) on!! Also, it's been a great week from a friend standpoint--started last Saturday night with dinner with Theresa and her family, then dinner with Catherine Tuesday night, PSU/NU game and tailgate with some of my tri teammates (PSU fans), and game night last night with some of my coworkers--cutthrough Catch Phrase at its finest. I think a big challenge for me in the upcoming year will be making sure I spend enough time with my friends...they're a great sanity check for me.

Fairly easy week for training...here's the wrap up:

Run: 3:38:27, 22.28 miles
Bike: 0
Swim: 0:48:00, 1650 m
Strength: 1:25:00

Key Learnings:

1. Pace is still a challenge--it takes forever to run slowly!! But...I did a little better this week at keeping my average heart rate down--was under 140 on two runs and averaged 141 on my 6-miler today. I think the long, slow runs are helping, though...on my 5-mile pace run Friday, I set a PR for that distance...made me very happy!!
2. A full social calendar and a self-proclaimed "points free day" are a dangerous combination...my WW discipline flew out the window yesterday, so we'll see how ugly things are at weigh-in on Tuesday...yikes. I need to continue to be dilligent about getting my weight down a little more--I don't want to go too far, but every little bit helps.

Back to more intense marathon training this week--mileage jumps to 29 miles. Headed to Minneapolis next weekend to visit friends--will also be the first time I've seen Vardo since we signed up. Can't imagine what we'll talk about...

Bring on week 50!!

It's official...

After almost two weeks of checking the participant list diligently each day (or maybe 5-6 times/day), my name finally popped up...guess it took a while for the in-person registrants to process. I was driving home tonight and talking with Vardo--she was online at the time and informed me I was official--glad I didn't drive off the road with joy. Of course, when I actually checked it out myself, the emotion was more of panic than joy...but I'm still way fired up for this adventure!!

On a slightly unrelated note, I found out today that two of my friends are sending a letter to Oprah with my weight-loss story--the letter they wrote had me tearing up at work (and I darn near never cry). One of the two, Jenny, actually flew in from NJ to race the Danskin tri with me this year, and the other, Steph, drove over to join us and cheer us on. Steph emailed both of us after I called her to thank her for the awesome gesture of the letter and to let her know that I signed up for IM...her comment was something like "Jenny, on September 10, we're going to be driving around somewhere in Wisconsin again looking for Roehr." I believe them...

I don't know where I'd be without my friends...I'm just so very very thankful I have them in my life. Tomorrow I'm going to email the group of college friends of which both Vardo and I are a part and let them know that we are both doing this IM thing...should send off an interesting flurry of emails questioning our sanity (and I honestly don't know who's sanity they'll question more between the two of us), but, as with so much else in life, I say bring it on...

Pretty easy training week so far--5 miles yesterday, 3 today, and 5 more tomorrow at pace...

Quotes and Inspiration

I get daily emails with motivational quotes--pretty geeky, but it works for me--and today's quote gave me pause...mainly because it's so very very true. Here it is...

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success." *Norman Vincent Peale

Ran 3 miles today--nice easy pace--and did some strength training. Feeling great...plus I broke 105 lb total weight loss today (105.8, to be exact), which makes me very happy!!

The Mix Tape

I've always been the type of person to associate things with music--guess it's just the lingering band geek in me that will never go away. To that end, this weekend I put together an Ironman 2006 playlist for my iPod...I love making those mix-tape-reminiscent playlists. At first, I struggled with what to put on it (never mind the fact that it's ridiculously easy to change one's playlists around)...but then I started building it with songs that reminded me of IM WI 2005 and it went from there. As I was driving to and from Madison and along the bike course, I was listening to the Indigo Girls' latest album, "Rarities"--fantastic compilation of covers, lesser-known songs, and demo versions of their songs. So, a couple of songs from there made it onto the playlist, including their cover of my favorite Dead song, "Uncle John's Band", which is what I resorted to singing in my head to get me through the monotony of the swim we did around the IM course. "Beautiful Day" by U2 was playing near the swim start before the race, as was "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac--I actually designated that particular song as my theme song solely for the line "yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone". One of the songs, "Spring Street" by Dar Williams, has an amazing lyric that describes a plant growing but could easily describe a new experience (like IM)--"But I'll push myself up through the dirt and shake my petals free/I'm resolved to being born and so resigned to bravery". I love that line...

Here's the playlist...I'm quite pleased with it and it's already helped me visualize different parts along the IM course.

1. Iron Man -- Ozzy Osbourne (seemed more fitting than "Crazy Train")
2. It's the End of the World -- R.E.M.
3. Beautiful Day -- U2
4. Shopping -- Barenaked Ladies (because shopping for tri stuff is fun)
5. Awful Beautiful Life -- Darryl Worley (yep, I'm a little bit country)
6. Don't Stop -- Fleetwood Mac
7. Life Less Ordinary -- Carbon Leaf
8. Uncle John's Band -- Indigo Girls
9. Big Time -- Big and Rich
10. I Am Woman -- Helen Reddy ("If I have to, I can do anything/I am strong, I am invincible...")
11. The World Is New -- Save Ferris
12. Stand Back Up -- Sugarland
13. I Take My Chances -- Mary Chapin Carpenter
14. Spring Street -- Dar Williams
15. Superman -- R.E.M.
16. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters -- Indigo Girls
17. Hey Julie -- Fountains of Wayne
18. Hurts So Good -- John Mellencamp (or, as my friend and IM buddy Jeremy calls him, "Cougar")
19. Better Things -- Dar Williams
20. Closer to Fine -- Indigo Girls
21. On Wisconsin (the Badgers' fight song--the run goes through Camp Randall Stadium, after all)

Training-wise, today was a good day for a Monday. It was a cross-training day on the marathon training program, so I swam for about 45 minutes and, assuming I didn't miss too many laps in my counting, 1600m--not fast, but it felt good. Back to running tomorrow...

Week 52 Wrap-Up

It's now been almost a week since I signed up for IM WI 2006...my emotions have settled down a little--more out of necessity as I'm sure I would've either driven myself crazy or driven those around me insane. I'm still psyched, but my enthusiasm has been channelled into training for the Disney marathon, which is the next big thing on my race calendar. I'm done with week 2 of that training program, and so far, so good.

My parents gave me a trainer as a treat for hitting the 100 lb mark on my weight loss--that arrived this week (CycleOps Fluid 2). I put that together and got my bike on it Friday night--my entry way has become my fitness area, but we do what we must with limited space options. I still need to go bike shopping and try on some wetsuits (ugh)...not sure when I'll fit that in, but I'll get it done at some point over the next few months.

Week 52 training summary:
Swim: None
Bike: 30 min spinning
Run: 26.3 miles; 4:18:44 total time
Strength: 1:20 of weights and core
Total time: 6:08:44

Week 52 key learnings:
1. PACE IS KEY!! I took off like a bat out of hell during the Nike Run Hit Wonder 10K Tuesday night (sub-8 minute pace, which for me is equivalent to a sprint)...almost keeled over after the first mile and a half. It didn't help that the race course took us on lower Wacker--about a mile and a half of stale, hot, stifling concrete before they let us out along the lake again. Rough race...but then I did darn near the same thing today on my 3 mile run and took off too fast. I'll get it figured out...but I need to remember to run my race, not anyone else's.
2. Too much fiber is a bad thing. Before said Run Hit Wonder race, I had South Beach Diet Southwestern Chicken Wraps (15 g fiber) for lunch, a bag of light popcorn (~15 g fiber) for a late afternoon snack, and a Clif bar (5 g fiber) on the way to the race. Lots of "rocket fuel" during the run...but pretty miserable all in all.
3. Sleep is always good. I need to focus on getting enough sleep--I'm notorious for staying up too late, and I'm finding that my body needs more rest these days.
4. A year seems like forever...need to continue to keep my enthusiasm in check so I don't burn out.

All in all...good week...ready for week 51!!

Why I'm doing this in the first place...

I've asked myself the question of why I'm doing this about a million times in the past couple of months...namely because I'm SO not the person that would actually consider this. I should clarify--the old me was SO not the person that would actually consider this.

Two years ago (Aug. 12, 2003, to be exact), I weighed in at 266.2 lbs. I know the exact weight because that was also the day that I started Weight Watchers. I was 29, had been on blood pressure medicine for 3 years, and couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded. I'd struggled with my weight for my whole life (even wore "husky" jeans as a kid), but I was caught in a downward spiral from which I was struggling to escape. I've been blessed with amazing friends and family in my life, but even their encouragement and concern about my weight wasn't enough to get me to do anything about it. It took my sister sending me some photos before I realized just how far I'd fallen...those pictures were the motivation for me to make it through my first WW meeting and one of those pictures resides in my transition pack as a reminder of how far I've come. In the past two years, I've lost over 100 lbs and have learned, more than anything, that it's OK to ask for others' support (my WW group has been amazingly supportive and I love them dearly for it) and that it truly is the journey, and not the destination, that defines the experience. I've heard the same holds true for the IM journey...

Two years ago, I was "morbidly obese" (to use the term my doctor used...you would've thought the "morbidly" part of that would've scared me to action), ridiculously inactive (though I had convinced myself that I could still do all of the things I wanted to....what a load of bull that was), and goal-oriented only as it pertained to my career (workaholic was probably an understatement at the time). Two years ago, I couldn't fathom people using exercise as a stress-reliever or for enjoyment, and I most definitely thought endurance sports of any kind were only for those who were teetering on the brink of insanity. Two years ago, I would've kept these thoughts and details (especially my weight) to myself and buried it under a facade of happiness.

But those thoughts and that person existed two years ago...the new version of me is more or less the complete opposite. I'm nearing my weight-loss goal, and I've found myself contemplating how I'm going to celebrate reaching that goal. Initially, I was focused on material rewards--dinner at Charlie Trotter's, for example (once a food geek, always a food geek)--but those seemed too fleeting to mark what has become a life-changing journey for me. WW has taught me that it's OK to have personal goals as well as professional goals, and through the course of training for triathlons this year, it occurred to me that perhaps the best way to celebrate the new me is to set and achieve a seemingly unattainable personal goal by doing something so completely polar to what the old me would have done that it would slam the book shut on the old me (not to be forgotten, but definitely to be put on the shelf) and start a brand new volume of my life. Somewhere in the midst of that relevation, Sue (someone who I've come to know, respect, and trust through WW) came along and started talking about this thing called Ironman. I knew about it, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I'd do it. Then again, it seemed like exactly the kind of thing that was the complete and polar opposite of anything I would've envisioned two years ago...making it darn near the perfect goal for me to celebrate my weight loss and the person I've become.

So...here I am, 362 days before race day...gearing up to work my butt off for the better part of those 362 days and endure one hell of a long day at the end--all to celebrate another journey that took me from the old me to the person I am today. And, frankly, I can't wait.

362 days to go...bring it on!!

The First Step

After several months of contemplation, soul-searching, and nausea-inducing thoughts, I did it--today I registered for Ironman Wisconsin 2006. I still can't believe I'm going to do it--it's been one hell of a ride so far, and I'm pretty sure the journey truly is just beginning. However, as one of my training partners, fellow Weight Watcher, and fellow IM WI 06 athlete Sue keeps reminding me, IM is not just a race--it's the final leg of an incredible journey. So, here I am--keeping track of my thoughts and experiences along the way.

If anyone would have told me a year ago that I'd be doing this, I'd have probably requested a breathalyzer test...considering that I started excerising in general about a year ago and had no intention of doing anything more. My friend Crystal started the insanity (or at least threw down the first of many challenges) by encouraging me to run a 5K--started training for that (and running in general) in January. That led to discussions about sprint triathlons, which led to me signing up for the multisport team, which led to me doing 4 sprints, 30-, 50-, 60-, and 100-mile bike rides, 2 5K's, a 7-mile, and a half marathon...and now this (after I do the Disney marathon in January). Crazy?? Absolutely, but in the best possible way. I've never had so much fun or felt so good about myself and about life...almost like a part of me that was buried for so long has been unleashed and that the person I'm meant to be is finally becoming a reality.

I had never considered an IM--well, I considered it insane, but I guess that's beside the point now. Sue brought it up at some point this summer--can't even really remember when--and I guess planted a little seed in the back of my mind that just really took root. After I started training for the sprint tris, I found that things were going well--and being the ridiculously type A person that I am, I started pondering more...and after I hit the 100-lb mark on my weight loss, IM became a way to slam the book shut on the old me and start a new book altogether. I jokingly say I blame Sue, but in reality, I thank her every chance I get for planting and nurturing the seed in my mind...she's helped me become so much more than I ever thought I would be. I talked to a bunch of people, read a ton of stuff on IM and triathlons in general, and spent a lot of time thinking...after all, one needs something to focus on when one is training on long, somewhat boring runs...

Which brings me to the official start of my Ironman journey, which began over the weekend at IM WI 2005.

Friday, I took the day off work, drove to Madison, and met up with Sue and Michele, both of whom finished IM WI 04 and will be also be training for IM WI 06. We swam one lap of the swim course--it's open Thurs/Fri/Sat morning of race weekend to competitors and the general public, which is very cool. All in all, not bad--we took it slow w/ Sue in the lead, but made it without incident (except for Michele's goggles, which have since found their way into the trash). I'm glad I let Sue talk me into doing the swim course--it was very intimidating driving in and looking at Lake Monona with the swim buoys marked off, but after I did the 1.2 mile lap, I realized I could do it--it's just pretty boring after a while and I resorted to singing songs in my head. I have a lot of work to do on my technique, pace, etc., but at least I know I can do it and hit the cutoff time of 2:20...provided I make it through the mass start.

We walked the expo afterwards--I bought an IM flag which is now hanging in my garage so I'll see it every time I leave and get home. They had a volunteer shift, so I bid them goodbye and took off to drive the bike course. I'd heard it was hilly...that's an understatement. Lots of rolling hills and some pretty technical stuff--downhills into winding roads, uphills into winding roads, and a kicker of a steep uphill toward the end of the loop...which I'll get to do twice on race day. But, I figure the town of Verona will be about the best looking town I'll ever see when I get to it on loop #2...and I'm glad I drove it because now I have incentive to train my butt off. As I was driving back, another friend and IM WI 06 competitor, Erin, called--I gave her my impressions of the bike course and we both decided that we'll be doing lots of training in Wisconsin next year. As we're both also shopping for shiny new bikes, we rounded out the conversation as we often do these days--talking about road vs. tri geometry, drop bars vs. bullhorn, etc., etc.

After watching Iowa State CLOBBER Iowa 23-3 on Saturday (I sold my ticket to the game so I could go to Madison on Sunday...talk about seller's remorse), I attempted to sleep, but was too wired and excited to experience an IM race, even as a spectator, to sleep much. So, I woke up at 2:30 am Sunday to drive to Madison to watch IM WI 05 with Sue and Michele. After checking out the transition areas (both the bike rack and the Monona Terrace changing rooms), we got our spot along the parking ramp helix where the athletes run up from the swim to the transition. One of Sue's and Michele's friends from Madison (another Sue) has a sister who races pro--she joined us along with a couple of their other friends so we could watch her sister and everyone else. By that point, the athletes were walking down the ramp to the swim start--some already in wetsuits and some holding them, some looking nervous enough to puke and some looking as calm as ever. I can't imagine what my emotions will be on race day, but I'm pretty sure I'll be more nervous and excited.

The swim start is incredible--from a distance, it looks like a huge mass of churning that slowly spreads out, which I guess is what it is by the time the 2000+ athletes start swimming. I was amazed, though, at how quickly things spread out along the course--much better than what I was expecting, so hopefully I won't get clobbered/kicked/swum over too much next year. The pros came in at about 47-48 minutes--Sue's sister Linda (the pro) was the second person out of the water--absolutely incredible. When the age groupers started coming out, it was fun to see the smiles and relief plastered on most of their faces...also sort of amusing to see who had their goggles cranked down so tight they seemed to leave permanent imprints. The whole parking ramp spiral was lined with spectators cheering, ringing cowbells, holding signs, etc.--that has to be pretty inspiring as an athlete. We watched the whole swim--all 2 hours and 20 minutes, and cheered on the last guy out--a guy named Rudy who made it out with one second to spare before the cutoff.

Sue and Michele are both big on visualization, so after the swim, we took off on a run that encompassed the last 2.5 miles of the run course (well, technically, it's miles 10.6-13.1 and 23.7-26.2--it's a two-loop course) so I could get at least some of it imprinted in my mind. We ran out from the Hilton and picked up the run course just at the run-out section, then cut over on State St and picked up the bike path along Lake Mendota. We cut through a part of campus and picked up the IM course again at the Camp Randall arch to run the 2.5 miles to the finish. I took some notes when we got back so I could remember--I'm looking forward to seeing the capital building and the square for sure. Great run, and now I have something to play through my mind on the treadmill...

We spent most of the afternoon cheering on athletes--first at the run-out area, and then on the square. It was a hot day, but most of the athletes seemed to be in good spirits coming off the bike--pretty impressive considering it was also pretty windy on the bike course. I'm still amazed by the variety of competitors--from the pros to the normal people with normal jobs to Frank, the 76-year old from South Dakota. The emotions they must go through have to be incredible--the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Our location on the square was right across from the special needs bag area and close to the loop turnaround/finish area--pretty cool to watch the athletes at such a milestone in the race.

Sue and Michele had another volunteer shift Sunday night (catching people at the finish line), so I went back to the square area and cheered my heart out. It was awesome to see the looks of accomplishment, relief, agony, and sheer joy on faces going by...and by the time I got done, I was hoarse and my hands hurt from clapping, but it was incredible. At about 11:45, I walked over to the finish area and watched the final folks come in--the people who got through on their grit and determination alone. I got choked up when a woman named Kimberly came through at about 11:50--I saw her heading out for her second lap earlier in the evening and it seemed as though she might not make it, but she did and she crossed the line with her family. We got back to the hotel about 12:30 or so...long day and lots of sensory overload, but so, so worth the experience--what an amazing thing to behold.

At 5:30 this morning, the alarm went off, and Sue, Michele, and I got ready. Jeremy (a fellow pizza person and tri newbie) met us in the lobby, and we went to Monona Terrace to wait in line to register for next year's race. Even though we were there at 6:30, we certainly weren't the first people in line, but I'm glad we got there when we did as the line was crazy long by the time registration started at 9. We talked with a guy named Mark who has been doing tris for 25 years and has done several IM races...very interesting to hear his take on training (keep your heart rate low), nutrition, and tris in general.

At various times in the waiting process, I went through waves of panic, nausea, disbelief, and general surrealness (if that's a word)...I think Jeremy was going through some similar emotions because we'd look at each other periodically with expressions of mild panic on our faces. An then, at 9, registration started, and this whole crazy insane idea became one step closer to a reality. I signed up, paid my registration fee, got hotel reservations, and managed to do so without puking. Sue came over when I was waiting in the hotel line and told me to turn around...she was checking to make sure I hadn't pooped my pants or anything...so I of course retorted with some mild profanity and rounded out the joke. Erin, another friend and training parter, called shortly after to let us know that she got through online and registered...so our little training group made it official all the way around.

The four of us went to breakfast at Marigold's and talked--Sue and Michele shared their experiences from last year's race with us and gave us a bunch of things to think about. We decided we'd meet for breakfast the Monday after next year's race again--same bat time, same bat channel.

On the drive back, my friend Vardo called (her name's Julie, but I just can't call her that) to see if I got in--she actually drove to Indiana from central Iowa to race in my first tri with me and has been a voice of reason throughout my whole athletic experience thus far. She has had IM as a goal for a while and thought I was nuts to go after it this quickly (admittedly, probably true to some extent), but has been incredibly supportive throughout my decision process. I told her I was in...her reply--"Oh doody, you're in for it now." About the time I got to Hoffman Estates along I-90, she called again...this time to ask me if she was crazy if she signed up, too. I was stunned--Vardo's plan had been to do IM Florida in a couple of years, although recently she started toying with IM WI instead. Her logic was that she's going to do one at some point--might as well be with someone else new to the experience, too. This whole thought process cropped up in about 15 minutes...and she was already on active.com registering when she called. I started crying when she told me she hit the "send" (or "register") button...always a good idea while driving...but I am SO SO SO excited that she's going to be there racing, too. She's been one of my close friends for a long time--through college, the adjustment phase to real life after college, the weight gain, the weight loss, and now this--I'm overwhelmed by the thought that we'll be doing this incredible life-changing thing together. So, when I got home, I sent her all of the info I had on training programs, etc., and I'm sure we'll have many more discussions to come. Even though we live in different states and will be training with different people, I have a feeling we'll be each other's support through and through...and that's pretty damn cool.

All in all--one of the scariest and yet most exciting days of my life...it's pretty awesome to know that I'll be doing this with some new friends (Erin, Jeremy, Sue, and Michele) and with a very good friend who has known me a long time (Vardo)--let the journey begin!!!