Officially In Training

I turn 30 this year.  I know many of you out there have already reached this milestone.  And while I know each and every one of you was graceful and accepting of this life occasion that everyone goes through, I have not been so gracefully anticipating its arrival.  In fact, I'm dreading it.  It's 30. The big 3-0-.    I remember my parents, many years ago, telling us they were 29.  

So this year is the year I start lying. 

I'm 29, thank you very much.

I'm not sure how the rest of you feel, but there are things that I thought I would be doing now.  There are places I thought I would be.  But alas, we don't always control where we get to go, or what we get to do.  So I've taken some time to reflect on where I am, and what I want to be doing in the upcoming years. 

There are three things that make me really happy:

Playing Piano

Bird Watching

Riding my Bike

So over the next year or so, I have some ideas of what I want to do.  

• There is a Star Valley Music Festival coming up in June.  While I've encouraged my students to participate, I have yet to decide if I will.  Do I have the drive to get a piece together to perform for a judge? Do I have the guts to do it? I haven't decided yet. 

• I've recently casually taken up snow shoeing.  It is so much fun. And I can't tell you how peaceful it is to walk out where nobody's been for months and just take in nature. We live in such a beautiful area, it seems wrong not to.  Jake and I are planning on taking a snow shoe trip to go bird watching. We have lots of cemeteries in the area.  It's crazy how many birds you can find in a cemetery. 

• I'm not exactly sure what it's called, but sometimes my sciatica nerves in my hips/legs flares up.  And it hurts a lot. Sometimes it makes it hard to walk. Or move in general. It's when I overdue it physically.  When we painted the house, eight hours a day of climbing and carrying ladders about pushed me over the edge.  I don't look forward to hauling 800 loads of dirt in yard this summer.... Sometimes I like to jog, but it's too high impact on my poor old lady hips/nerves.  The one thing I've found that I can do for long periods of time without pain is ride a bike.  For some reason, I find it to be oddly satisfying.  I'm not a hard core, die hard biker by any means, but I enjoy it.  Last year I got a hybrid road bike, and I love how easy it is to ride compared to a mountain bike.

 So.

This leads me to my 30 year goal. Or my goal for my 30th year. Hopefully it won't take 30 years...

Anyway. 

 I have registered to do a charity bike ride. It's not a race, which I am so glad for, because well ya know, I'd so lose.  

I have signed up to ride 50 miles.  While to some of you, that may not sound like a lot, to me it does.  If I were a boy scout, I'd get a merit badge for it! 

Several years ago, when Jake was preparing to go to scout camp and do their 50 mile ride, I trained with him. The furthest distance I ever got with him was 26ish miles.  And I think I almost died.  In fact, I know I did. Almost that is. 

So for Valentine's day, Jake bought me a new riding jersey and a bike trainer.

I am so excited! Boy do I love that Boy. He is the best. Ever. 

There are several other ladies in my ward that will also be participating.  So I won't be riding alone.  I am so excited, and so nervous.   But more excited.

So I am officially in training.  Until the snow is gone in Mid-May, I will be busting it out on the trainer, and the snow shoes (they are a serious work out).  Plus, this will help me lose the last half of my goal weight. As of this morning I am down 17 pounds.  I'm going to put a couple tickers to track my furthest distance and days counting down til the ride.

Wish me luck!