Sand Key Tri Sprint - Sunday September 23

After much consideration, I decided NOT to wear these to the Tri. I figured I didn't want any distractions for the athletes out in the water. A kayak just isn't suited for Dorothy Shoes.

That doesn't mean I don't understand the importance of a good Jelly Donut before working a Tri...afterall, if Blink and Bigun know how important they are...

This is me and Green Eyed Lady (after the race). We volunteered for Kayak support together. It really was a good time. GEL helped out a guy on his first open water swim. He had a little anxiety attack in the water. She followed him on the whole swim til he got out of the water. He finished the race.

Here we are with the rest of the crew of kayak support... except for Diane - she's taking the picture.

Green Eyed lady out on the water. The sun still wasn't up so some of the shots are a little dark.

While still on shore, we had a lady come up to ask us some questions. Her first swim in the Gulf. She was afraid of sharks. Turns out, the only shark we saw that day was Bigun.






That's me, ignoring all of the athletes for a photo op moment. I know, blurry - I need to fire my

Sherpa......well, it was his first time, maybe I'll forgive him. ;)



That is ExcelMan swimming briskly in the water.

That shoulder with the yellow jersey is ExcelMan again. The fellow on the board - lifeguard.

Sherpa got a pretty good shot here, but this is my blog. You would think he could have atleast gotten a good shot of me. If I weren't a "G" rated girl, I would have a choice name or two for my Sherpa Boy

ExcelMan pushing hard on the bike

Coming into transition

This guy's feet never touch the ground!!!

Okay, I know some people are vertically challenged. Quite a few of my friends are what we may call... well, short. So, I don't want to offend any one, but if this shot doesn't crack you up...

maybe this one will.

crossing the finish line- 2nd place in his group is ExcelMan

Here is the studly muffin birthday boy displaying his hard earned prize (sunday was his birthday) woohoo!! Go Libras!!!

This should explain why we call him ExcelMan.

yes, this was written on his forearm for the race. He copied it from an excel spread sheet he put together for his race. Swear.

Sherpa Boy - aka Bigun

It was a good day.

My Dorothy Shoes

This is Lisa (you've seen pics of her daughter, Alex on the trampoline and plunging into the pool)

She bought me these for my birthday...

The box actually sizzled when I opened it. My toe polish just happens to match the shoes. I had the pedicure on Monday - without knowledge of the shoes, swear. Is that Karma or what?

The only problem was that I didn't have anything to wear with the shoes. So, I found this dress at Dillard's.

I figured since I had the shoes and the dress, I needed some place to wear them. So, here I am last night at the Pub with Laurie, Dawn and Kelly, our bringer of beverages at the pub.

I was going to show you my new red purse too, but TriDogMom posted hers the other day and frankly, my purse isn't even close to as hot as hers.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new shoes!! Wonder if I can wear them while kayaking tomorrow...

I'll be Right Back

In case anyone is looking for me you can find me here.

This Past Week

Out of Doors

I thought Betty Lou's optics resembled the two below

I had to go out
and "capture"

these two Pavarotti wanna be's

Bigun took this shot of the pair of musical prodigies

I had to get "my take" on them too

Here is the "calm before the storm" That big cloud on the left of the frame was the size of Earth and really black.
















In the rain

This Family of cranes (juvenile on far right) kept their distance - Male kept an eye on me.

I love this shot of the cranes because when it is in full frame - it looks like an oil painting. The focus was just out of sharp. Cool effect.

The other side of the door...Anastasia

Ying and Yang

Beauty















and The Beast

HAVE YOU CLICKED HERE YET?

Sand Key Sprint Tri

Before I begin please let me say - Congratulations to all who raced at IM Louisville and IMWisconsin!! We are all so proud of all of you!!

This is where I will be in 2 weekends. Sand Key. Isn't that a beautiful view? Maybe you should join me...

Instead of finding me here on the sidelines taking pictures...

You'll have to look out here to find me.

That's right. I'll be volunteering on September 23 at the Sand Key Tri. ExcelMan is racing and I'll be part of the support crew along with my friend,( ExcelMan's wife) Green Eyed Lady.We'll be in kayaks beating athletes over the head if they try to hold on to our rigs for support! How fun is that? Okay, just kidding about the beating over the head part(I would never...). I am really looking forward to it. This will be the first race I get up at 0'dark thirty for that Bigun isn't competing in. Bigun will be the Sherpa for this race! I am so psyched about being out there giving support to the athletes in a different style. Bigun will need to man the cowbells that morning.

Before you leave ---click HERE

8 Random Things / Are You Karmically Aware? and Miss Lexie's Pineapple Casserole

8 Random Things about me - evidently Miss AndraSue tagged me. She tagged me when I was in the middle of our little Internet black hole. But I am back and so that my dear AndraSue knows I wasn't ignoring her, I am now picking up the tag.
1- Not a big "sweets" fan - but, when I decide I want something sweet I do it up right. For example, no regular Oreo will do - it MUST be double stuff.
2- I love kids - they keep it simple.
3- I am allergic to strange things, like Benadryl. Yes. The med everyone else takes to counter an allergic reaction, sends me into hives and asthma attack weird huh?
4- I really really really like candy dots (the kind that are stuck to the strip of paper). Can eat them all day and never get sick of them.
5- I love to wear hats- I have a closet full of them. I dream of the day I can go to the Kentucky Derby, it means i get to go all out on a new hat.
6- I like to float in the pool. I can float and sleep for endless hours on the pool
7- Dragonflies are my Talisman and have been since I was a little girl.
8- Martinis rock. So do Mojitos. So do Mango Margaritas. So do Lemon Drops. So do Bloody Marys...
While on the random note, here is something else I would like to share. Are you Karmically Aware?

I was going through my email and I noticed that Astrology.com had sent me an email informing me that "Pluto Turns Direct: Time for Renewal". So, I thought to myself, lets see what exactly it means to me now that Pluto has turned direct. I opened the email, because I am of the curious sort. Besides, anything having to do with me and what it means to me, well, I have to be on the KNOW. In addition, what needs to be renewed? After all, the subject line said it is Time.

There I am, waiting for the email to fully open and I begin to read... while reading I notice how many times Astrology.com has made it available for me to click on a word to redirect me to where they NEED me to be. Well, if they need me there, shouldn't I go? I went - after reading just what it really meant - to me- that Pluto has turned Direct. ?!?!?! huh? Still scratching my head on that one.
Keep in mind now folks, this must be a REALLY important thing for them to have sent me an email about it, don't you agree? After all, if they didn't inform me, who would? My mind begins to think this...if it's so important for me, isn't it important for everyone? Shouldn't everyone be told about this incredible event in the heavens? That brings us here. To this spot.

I have included the email they sent to me (all links in place) and the beautiful picture that goes along with it...suggesting that I will be "Light as air when I'm Karmically Aware" well, shouldn't we all be? Maybe I'll start floating like the girl in the picture. That would be grand. By the by - is "karmically" even a word?

Meanwhile, enjoy this little trip fantastic into the heavens, courtesy of Astrology.com

Dear Diana,
Pluto turned retrograde last March and finally goes direct this September 7. Throughout the retrograde period you've likely found yourself letting go of beliefs that don't optimally serve you; now, you have the chance to put your revised approach to life into practice, as the 'great renewer' ushers in a phase of great enlightenment! It's the perfect time to brush off negative past life influences with a free sample Karma Reading. Your portrait is a customized glimpse at your inner traits and tendencies, and how to optimize them for a stronger, lovelier you. It's a metamorphosis you don't want to miss out on! Try your free sample first, then upgrade to the full-length version of your reading at 25% off!

P.S. Discover the meaning of your name and explore your numeric nature with a free sample numerology reading!
Pass it on! Forward this offer to a friend.
Your personal information is safe and secure on Astrology.com.

So, did you enjoy the little trip? Did you go? I must tell you all, they didn't just randomly send me this email, I am on their email list. I had a "free" Tarot reading once, ever since... I get the emails. They are fun to visit. Just don't take them seriously.

This is for Don (from Canada) and all of my other Bloggy friends who enjoy good food (Boomer) ;). Bigun's Mom served this with Ribs from the Barbie and Chicken as well. Umm Umm good!!

Miss Lexie’s Pineapple Casserole

1 20 oz can pineapple chunks or tidbits
½ cup sugar
3 tbs flour
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup butter (1 stick) ( I always use Smart Balance when I cook in lieu of butter)
½ cup crushed Ritz crackers


Preheat oven to 350
Drain pineapple, reserving 3 tbs of the juice.
Mix reserved juice with sugar and flour, then add pineapple and cheese and place in greased (pam works) casserole dish
Melt butter and stir into cracker drumbs. Sprinkle on top of mixture in casserole dish.
Bake for 20 – 30 minutes


This makes an 8 x 8 casserole dish. You can make it ahead of time and bake later.

Smart Balance® Light Buttery Spread:
Lactose Free.
No Hydrogenated Oil.
No Trans Fatty Acids.
Helps improve cholesterol ratio.
Sensational buttery taste.