3rd Grade's a Charm

My little angel. I help her get ready in the morning but the hair I leave to her. She does a great job. All I ask of her is that all of the "rats" are combed out. She is darling. I love her SO MUCH.

Stop growing!

Underneath that hair is a VERY cute high school kid. He's fast. He's smart. And he's coming to a field near you.

Senior Year!

Looking good. No backpack, wearing flip flops. I CANNOT believe that he is a senior.

Slow!

This is how I feel lately.

Smile and Be Happy

Smile and Be Happy

Ironman CdA

Okay, I know that I need to write all of this down. It was an incredible experience and I look forward to my next Ironman race. I'm not going to post any pictures here (at least not right now). I posted a bunch on my Facebook page. If you read this and you're not my "friend", just ask me (jeff at aquaveo dot com).

PRE-RACE

So we left on Tuesday and drove half way to Coeur d'Alene and stayed at Butte, Montana. Not much to report there. The next day we met up with my training buddy and his family and headed in to town. The Ironman village was already being set up. It was pretty cool. We forked out hundreds of dollars in Ironman merchandice. It is ridiculous how much we are willing to fork out to wear Ironman stuff. It's a racket for sure. This was going to be my first race on race wheels. We rented them (sorry don't have a few K's laying around) from RaceDayWheels. Nice people. I decided on a 1080 on the back and a 404 on the front. I was happy with my decision. I also went with tubulars for the first time. For some reason I wasn't nervous at all. I had them show me how to change them. I did a test change and was ready to rock.

We did a short 5 mile run on Thursday followed by a swim in Lake Pend Oreille. Temperature felt great but the strange current out in the middle of the lake scared us both a little. I was calm. I felt great. I was getting lots of sleep. I had no internet access so work so nothing on my mind at all.

So the next day I took Donkey out for a quick spin. It was raining just a bit so I wanted to see how the bike/wheels would handle in the rain. What I didn’t like was how all of the dirt and rocks would stick to the tires and rub on the brake pads and frame. This had me a bit worried so before I checked in my bike I had a tech look at it and make an adjustment to the back tire. The morning before checking in our bikes we went for another ride together. Everything felt great. Donkey was fast and ready to run.

So on Saturday we checked in our bikes, and our swim->bike bag and our bike->run bag. Thousands of bags on the ground, all in order. It was pretty cool. The special needs bags we would bring on race day. It was pretty nice to show up on race day with just our wetsuits. I wasn’t nervous at all but excited to start racing.

We went home, had an early dinner and packed our special needs bags. I put in Pringles, pretzels, fig newtons, a pair of socks, and in each bag I had a small bag of pills (3 salt tablets, 2 Advil, and 2 Alieve). I had no problem falling asleep and got a good 5 ½ hours of sleep.

We woke up at 3:30 and I had my normal breakfast – oatmeal, yogurt, juice, and a banana.

SWIM

It is pretty amazing to see 2000+ athletes standing on the beach ready to swim. We watched the pros make it around the first loop with the helicopter following the leader. I had to get bodymarked TWICE because the spray on sunblock completely made my numbers run. No worries. I wasn’t worried at all. Rich asked me if I was going to just jump in the middle and swim or go on the side. I told him that I was just going to go for it with everyone else. I’m glad I did. I had no problem. In fact, I was less stressed in this race than other local smaller races. I’m not sure if it was because these athletes were more courteous or what but I had no troubles. I made my first loop around in just over 40 minutes (right on plan). This particular race has you actually get out of the water, cross the mat and then run along the beach and get back in. I actually enjoyed that, threw my hands up in the air and exclaimed “One more time!” to the crowd. Talk about the crowd. They were fantastic.

The second lap on swim proved a bit more difficult as the wind really picked up and that made the waves bigger. If you’ve ever swam in wind and waves then you know how difficult it is to 1) stay straight and 2) breath without taking in a bunch of water. Nevertheless, the swim was quickly over and I was on my way to T1. Within literally seconds, the strippers had my wetsuit off and someone handed me my bag with my bike helmet and shoes.

BIKE

Tri-Rich was right behind me out of the water and we were soon heading out on our bikes. So much buzz in the air. So many people cheering everyone on. It was really cool. We started out fast. Much faster than we had wanted to. Neither of our bike computers were functioning correctly the whole time but we didn’t really care. We just continued to pass bike after bike. We made it around the first loop no problem. All along the way, there were many people cheering from their driveways or the sides of the road. Although drafting is illegal behind other racers there is nothing in the rulebook that prohibits drafting behind ambulances. That was fun.

Then this is the point where all Hell brakes loose. We were starting our second loop going out of town and had just made the tight turn off of Northwest Blvd. to Government Way. I was slightly ahead of TR and as I rounded the corner I had to ride around a slower biker that was too far over to the left. After passing him/her I looked back to see TR trying to get around the same person, but all of a sudden he was flying over his bike. I thought maybe he might have overcorrected too much, some of the bystanders thought maybe his gears had locked up. Regardless, TR went down, and went down hard. I stopped, jumped off my bike, gave it to a bystander and ran back down the street. TR was out cold but still screaming in pain. TR doesn’t remember anything about the crash. Quickly a couple of the race assistants showed up. I tried to get TR untangled from his bike and off of him. He was pretty scrapped up in several places. One of the race officials showed up in a truck and parked below us to protect all of us and then they set up a “NASCAR” type caution zone for all of the other racers. I grabbed TR’s iPhone out of the back of his jersey. See, our kids were following us via GPS for the day so that they knew where we were. I called his wife and luckily she was only a couple of blocks away. It still took her a good 15 minutes to get through the crowd and barricades. TR came to enough that we moved him off the street and into the nearby parking lot. He was in lots of pain in his back and sides. Just before the ambulance showed up, I asked him what he wanted me to do. There was no way I was racing without him. We started this together and we were going to finish together. It was a tough decision. TR told me he wanted me to finish so that is what I did.

So I hopped back on my bike and began to finish the second loop. That next 5 or so miles was VERY tough. I was bawling like a baby. How could this happen to my buddy. WHY????? Was he going to be okay? Well, I finally was able to focus in on the rest of the race. I was going fast. No one, not a single rider passed me on those last 50 miles and I passed PLENTY of riders. There were a couple of downhill sections out by Hayden that were a bit dicey because the wind had picked up a bit and those cross winds can give those ZIPP wheels extra movement. Everything was going just fine until……

Coming down Government way I was cruising about 30 mph. I felt good. Only a couple more miles and then it was run time. The weather had held. No rain on the bike and I was really happy about that. The police had done a great job keeping the roads clear until….WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING??????

This young girl on a bike decides to cross Government Way. The only thing I can think of is that she WAY underestimated how fast I was coming down the street. “Surely, she is going to stop. Surely, she is not going to keep going” is what I’m telling myself. Now, this is really only taking seconds to pass. Does she stop? No, she keeps going and I hit her broadside. For some reason my instincts told me to lay the bike down as if I was setting a motorcycle down (not that I really know how to ride a motorcycle). My momentum carried me down the street several more yards. I finally stopped, got untangled from my bike and began my OUT OF CONTROL TIRADE (for those of you that need a Webster definition - a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or harshly censorious language). The police ran over to me first and told me that medics were on their way. Medics? I didn’t need no stinkin’ medics. I just needed some help to get my bike working again. I picked it up, straightened out the rear derailleur, adjusted the rear wheel, and put the chain back on (all while continuing with the tirade). I got back on the bike and started down the street. I hadn’t gone but 10 feet when I had to get back off. The back wheel wasn’t spinning right and there was too much unwanted noise. CRAP!!!! (more tirades). I tried making more adjustments thinking to myself, if I have to carry Donkey the last couple of miles, I was going to do that. I WOULD finish no matter what. Well, I got everything working. The rear wheel was okay. As long as I didn’t change gears I think I could make it the rest of the way.

Rolled into T2 with my feet out of my bike shoes ready to run. The race support was great. They took my bike, gave me my run bag and ushered me into the changing tent.

As I sat in the changing tent, I kept going over and over in my head the crash. It was crazy. I could have been laying in the hospital next to my buddy. I was lucky. I was blessed. It should have been much worse. Then I realized that I hadn’t even thought about the girl I had hit. I was pretty sure she was okay. She was getting chewed out by the cop pretty bad when I had left “the scene”. Now it was time to but one the gay socks and the running shoes. Some Advil, Aleve, salt tablets, and a bottle of Ensure and I was off.

RUN

For the first few miles I continued to have flashbacks of the crash. I was also still worried about my buddy. I wondered if he was okay. More flashbacks. Well, that was NOT going to work for the next 4 hours. With no iPod to listen to I just started singing to myself. Not loud but enough that I was able to clear my head and focus on the run. As lucky as we were on the swim and bike with the rain, not so much for the run. It pretty much rained the entire time. Not bad. I wasn’t really cold. Just keep moving and I stayed warm enough. I was feeling actually pretty good. I was running about 9 minute miles and felt like I could hold that pace for the entire time. I would walk through most of the aid stations as I continued to sip at Gatorade, an occasional cup of Cola, and a few pretzels, bananas, and orange slices. As the run continued, it got colder and wetter. More and more people were walking with those emergency blankets on. I just didn’t get it. Wasn’t this a race? An Ironman race? TR used to say something crude about these people but I’ll refrain.

Prior to the race Jake and Olive made cheer signs. They were very cool. Jake made a big one and these were placed all over the run portion of the race. I happened to find his (among the 100s of posters), so on my last leg back I pulled the sign out of the ground and carried it the last 3 miles or so. Kind of corny I know but I wanted the sign. So then when I was coming down the final stretch I was running and holding the sign above my head. The sign read “The legs feed the wolf” (from the movie Miracle). Everyone was yelling and cheering. It was WAY cool. I approached the finish line, dropped to my knees and rolled across in proper Jon Blais form.

“Jeff Davis, you are an IRONMAN!”

POST-RACE

Well, this post has taken me over a week to finish. At times I cannot believe I did it. Part of it doesn’t seem real. Frankly, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. My first time took me just over 13 hours to finish. I am very confident that I can do it closer to 11 hours. I need to train, get faster in the water and be a much better runner but I know that an 11 hour Ironman is well within my reach. TR is hurting. Broken ribs SUCK and he’ll be out of the water and away from running for several more weeks. It just really SUCKS. We trained so hard together for over a year. I want to be happy for what I was able to accomplish but it’s pretty hard to. When I crossed the finish line and they gave me the medal, I tried putting it around TR’s neck. He’s the Ironman in my book. He wore it that night and then gave it back. He’s working with the WTC folks to hopefully get him in either Arizona, Wisconsin, or Louisville. We’ll see how that goes.

I’ve eaten tons of CRAP food this past week and have done very little in the way of exercising. I ran on Saturday in preparation for the 4th of July Freedom Festival 5K. Most of my road rash is gone and my knee isn’t too stiff anymore. We signed up today for our traditional Jordanelle triathlon. This was my first triathlon and it was the same for TR when he started. Well, there you go. Short and Sweet.

Is this me?

Wearable towel?

Give me a break!

Easter 09

Here is Olivia in her pretty baptism dress. Olivia picked out the shoes and gloves of course. What a beautiful child. This was taken on Easter morning.

Here is Father and daughter on Easter morning (with a little bit of Jake's finger). Olivia has been SO excited to have her very own scriptures. She reads them and asks me questions about what she reads. It was kind of cute that she started with the book of Genesis. A couple of weeks later we got a cute pink bag to carry her scriptures in.

Here are the "cool" boys. Man, they sure do grow up quickly.

After church we went to the Anderson's for family, food, and fun (and an actual Easter egg hunt). The Easter bunny more or less skipped the Davis home this year so the kids were excited to get treats (and of course a bunny). Jenny is always such a great host. The food was yummy! Thanks to Katherine for the very tasty strawberry dessert.

Olivia's Baptism

On April 11, 2009, Olivia Pilar Davis was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her father performed the baptism and confirmation. Her grandfathers were the witnesses and a number of family and friends participated in the confirmation. It was a beautiful day and words cannot express my joy and happiness to see this day come. Olivia is such a sweet child and such an example to me.

This was right before her baptism. This is Olivia and her favorite cousin, Becca.

Olivia and her grandparents (Wolfgang and Grammy).

Did you know?

Anger vs. Empathy

Anger creates resentment and rebellion.

Empathy ups the odds of genuine remorse and responsibility.

Anger says, "I can barely handle you!"

Empathy communicates, "I'm such a great parent that I can handle you without breaking a sweat!"

Anger creates kids who get sneaky and do irresponsible things behind our backs.

Empathy creates kids who are more likely to behave even when we aren't watching them.

Engelbert's the MAN!

My friend, David

I have blogged a few times about this guy, David Pollay. I just got through reading his last couple of posts. The Law of the Narrator - who is narrating our life? Is it ourselves? What are we saying? What are we telling others? More importantly, what are we telling ourselves? Bring out your best narrator.

The Goal of the Hallway - What matters most? Family. Period.

Happiness Label - Like calorie labels on desserts, we make choices every day for what will bring us the most (true) happiness.

Thanks, David. I've never met you. I intend to someday. You're my kind of guy. Keep it up!

Robert Browning quote

"Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life,
for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith, "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half;
trust God: see all, nor be afraid."

Oceanside -#604

Okay, so I know that over a MONTH has passed and I haven't actually posted my race report. Things have been pretty busy, and Facebook pretty much takes up all my time (okay not ALL my time). So here we are, Rich and I with the pre-race picture. It was still dark when we wheeled our bikes over to T1 about 5:30 in the morning. I had my usual oatmeal, juice, yogurt, and nerves for breakfast. This time around I had my COOL tri-bag that Rich gave me for my birthday. I was excited.

Here we are just about to start. Green caps. I'm ready. Feeling good. Ready to race. So how was my swim. NO FREAKIN better than last year. I guess that is better than doing worse than last year but I was disappointed. For some reason I just couldn't get into a rhythm. I couldn't find someone to follow, I wasn't enjoying the salt water, my goggles kept fogging up. Oh well, better time next year. My mom was certainly glad that I didn't drown.

Now it was time to ride. I was excited to see how well I would do riding Donkey this year. I opted to forgo the Zipp wheels as I wanted to simply compare bike to bike. The first 20 miles or so you are going pretty fast. With the wind, and flat. So you think you are having a great ride. Then you start hitting the hills and I was slowing down. About 38 miles out, Rich came up beside me and said that we were barely over 19 mph thus far. CRAP. Time to kick it big time. So for the next 18 miles I went hard. Really hard. I felt good great. Rich says he had a hard time keeping up (but I don't really believe him). As always, the road support was great. I really enjoy racing through the military base and have all of the soldiers cheer you on.


Here we are coming in to T2. It was such a beautiful day. I couldn't believe it. Time to run.

So new this year was running on the beach. Although this is supposed to be "cool". It was NOT. Beach running is hard. Running up hill on the beach is even harder. But with a cool breeze and the ocean right there, I can't think of a better setting. My goal this year was to not stop. Last year I had never even run 13 miles. It was tough and I hated it last year. This year? I rocked. I didn't keep my sub 8:00 min pace that I wanted to but I didn't stop. I am a much stronger runner and I'm only getting better. Anyone that says that they can't run is fooling themselves.

Here we are just after the finish. We both felt great. Crossed (rolled across) the finish line once again, together and 45 minutes faster than last year. I was just as hungry (ate about 10 pieces of pizza, a few oranges, cookies, soda, and whatever else there was) but I wasn't dying like last year. It was a great day. A great race. Already signed up for next year and looking for another 45 minutes off my PR. If you want a fun 70.3 this is it.

Oceanside - Second time around

Okay, I have a number of events coming up so I'd better get this report out. First of all, I had a great time. Second I had a great time, and last of all I had a great time. If you don't like long blog posts then you can just read this first paragraph and move on. Long story short, I bettered my time this year by almost 45 minutes over last year. I know that I can do better. I really like Oceanside and I hope to race there year in and year out until I'm 80. Okay, there you have it. Move on OR Read on.

TriRich and I packed up the Burb and headed out Tuesday evening. We drove about half way and stayed the night in Vegas. Our Vegas stay was short and as always memorable (and this time educational). I'm so lucky to have a friend like Rich. I hope all of you out there in Triathlon world has as good of a training partner as I do.

The next day we arrived in Sunny California. So good to be there. I could (and maybe should) live there. The Beach and I are....... We went out for a run along the beach.

Did I mention that I could (and should) live there? Here I am shortly after a nice 5-6 mile run celebrating in front of the Oceanside pier.

The next day, it was time to take Donkey out for a ride. The race bike course is mostly on Camp Pendleton which is off limits to civilians. So instead we rode south along the coast past Carlsbad and had a nice 30+ mile ride. Did I mention that I could live there? Donkey was ready. My legs felt great.


Later that day we registered and walked around the Expo. Last year the Expo was a big deal. All the vendors, people, excitement. This year it seemed not quite as exciting. Now don't get me wrong, I still bought my share of IM merchandise. One of the booths we stopped at was a contraption to help you be a better swimmer. Must have worked for Rich because he beat me out of the water by 2 minutes on Saturday.

After visiting the Expo it was time to hit the water. We wanted to get out and swim and get accustomed to the water. The waves were pretty rough but we managed to swim up and down the coast for about 40 minutes or so. Then it was time to play. Did I mention that I could (should) live there? I really could.

After dinner we walked around the harbor where the Start/Finish line and transition area is.

Our last activity before the race was an afternoon trip to Knott's Berry Farm. I hadn't been there since I was a young boy. I wasn't too keen on standing in long lines and walking around a day before the race. However, as short as the trip was, we all had a great time. There are a number of fun roller coasters.

Lines? What lines. There were NO lines. Now, this is probably a young persons dream but I for one can only take so much of constant coasters. We were getting our fill and we were getting it fast.
Here we are relaxing in the sun. It was a beautiful day. Did I mention that I could (should) live there?

We finished off the day with a nice dinner at Claimjumper. Check out this cake. Holy cow. Did he eat it? Nope, it was just a camera moment. Guess how many calories are in this tiny slice? 3500 freakin' ones! Wow!

This concludes the pre-race activities and preparation. Game on! Let's race.

Oceanside 09

No, I'm not in this video but it is cool! I will be posting a recap soon!

BZZZ! I'm being SO stimulated

My "favorite" aunt sent me this link the other day. It is pretty interesting. Of course since it's on the internet it MUST be true. You can read all about the "stimulus" work that is going on in your state and also for any of your neighbors. I know that there was a bunch of hub-bub during the elections about the "Bridge To Nowhere". From what I can tell, that has nothing on some of these projects. Enjoy. I wonder if anyone is taking suggestions. I have some.

Q & A - with JJ

Now this is with JJ:

1. What is something dad always says to you? - "unplug"
2. What makes dad happy? - "spending time with him"
3. What makes dad sad? - "not being able to see his kids activities/sports"
4. How does dad make you laugh? - "wrestling"
5. What was dad like as a child? - "smart, no take that back, ladies man"
6. How old is your dad? - "42"
7. How tall is your dad? - 6'5"
8. What is his favorite thing to do? - "spend time with his kids"
9. What does your dad do when you're not around? - "exercise no, sandbag"
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? - "most successful ironman/civil engineer"
11. What is your dad really good at? - "chess"
12. What is your dad not very good at? - "video games"
13. What does your dad do for his job? - "civil engineer"
14. What is your dad's favorite food? - "smoothies"
15. What makes you proud of your dad? - "how hard he works"
16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? - "a combination of Dilbert and Grover"
17. What do you and your dad do together? - "listen to music and travel"
18. How are you and your dad the same? - "we love to run"
19. How are you and your dad different? - "I'm trash him in long distance"
20. How do you know your dad loves you? - "because of how much time he wants to spend with me and how much fun we have together"

Q & A - with Jake

Now, this is with Jake:

1. What is something dad always says to you? - "Make your bed."
2. What makes dad happy? - "Finishing an Ironman"
3. What makes dad sad? - "when I'm not around"
4. How does dad make you laugh? - "Olivia"
5. What was dad like as a child? - "Athletic"
6. How old is your dad? - "42"
7. How tall is your dad? - 6' 4"
8. What is his favorite thing to do? - "Run an Ironman"
9. What does your dad do when you're not around? - "relax in the quietness at home"
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? - "Running an Ironman"
11. What is your dad really good at? - "biking"
12. What is your dad not very good at? - "relaxing"
13. What does your dad do for his job? - "an engineer"
14. What is your dad's favorite food? - "chicken"
15. What makes you proud of your dad? - "how athletic you are"
16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? - "daffy duck"
17. What do you and your dad do together? - "lacrosse"
18. How are you and your dad the same? - "both very athletic"
19. How are you and your dad different? - "you're taller than me"
20. How do you know your dad loves you? - "because you play sports with me"

Q & A - with Olivia

Okay, thanks to my cousin I decided to ask Olivia a few questions. Here are her answers:

1. What is something dad always says to you? - "Make your bed"
2. What makes dad happy? - "Me"
3. What makes dad sad? - "When I'm not here"
4. How does dad make you laugh? - "By tickling me"
5. What was dad like as a child? - "Crazy"
6. How old is your dad? - "42"
7. How tall is your dad? - "About 5 feet"
8. What is his favorite thing to do? - "Stay on your computer"
9. What does your dad do when you're not around? - "You swim, you bike, and you run"
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? - "I don't know.
11. What is your dad really good at? - "Cranium"
12. What is your dad not very good at? - "Nothing"
13. What does your dad do for his job? - "Types and make things work"
14. What is your dad's favorite food? - "Oatmeal"
15. What makes you proud of your dad? - "Ironman finisher"
16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be? - "Mickey Mouse"
17. What do you and your dad do together? - "Jump on the tramp and play games"
18. How are you and your dad the same? - "Both like computers"
19. How are you and your dad different? - "You're a boy and I'm a girl"
20. How do you know your dad loves you? - "Because he tucks me in bed"

AAR - My song of the week/month/year

I've been meaning to post this. Great song, great video, great lyrics. I'm glad I have have great neighbors. Enjoy the song and video. Enjoy your life.

Am I nuts?

So am I just crazy or what? Signing up for a 2nd Ironman when I haven't even finished the first one? But call me compulsive. Call me looney. But it was calling me. Wanting me. It's in my own backyard for heaven's sake. Last year doing the 1/2 Ironman, I decided that that race was the hardest thing I had ever done. Now, with just a couple of weeks out, I'm really not too nervous about it. Come June, well, that's a different story. Anyhow, bring it on!

And for those triathletes out there in the world that are not familiar with my home state, St. George is awfully beautiful. Great time of the year as well. You will NOT be disappointed. Come on out. Let me show you MY home.

Beauty is a Beast

For the past couple of months Olivia has been preparing for the play "Beauty is a Beast". Kind of a spin from the "Beauty and the Beast" story. Olivia played 1 of the 4 "Beauty" parts. The premise is that this princess is mean and selfish so her 3 fairy godmothers turn her into a peasant where she not only falls in love with a poor boy but also realizes the error of her ways. Olivia was great and a natural.

The Great Debater (part II)

Last Saturday JJ competed at the State competition for debate and other forensic events. JJ is good. He's very good. And he proved it by taking first place in Foreign Extemp. The students are given a topic from international current events and they have 30 minutes to prepare a 7 minute speech. He faced some very stiff competition but still came out on top. Good job, JJ!

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo. How about you you you?

Olivia's class took a trip to the infamous Hogle Zoo on Monday. A very calm group of well behaved children.

In front of the infamous "Elephant trunk" memorial.

I'm not sure what is up with the gang signs but Olivia and Christian are all about looking "cool"

Holy Hell!!!

Watch CBS Videos Online

Mi ahijada

Isn't she just darling?

Hi, I'm a Lymph node

So I'm no nurse. No doctor. But this afternoon I got to learn about the human organ - the Lymph node. These "nodes" are found all through the body and act as a "trap" for foreign particles. So when you get sick or are exposed to some kind of bacteria or something, the body tries to send this to one of these nodes. The nodes have these vessels to provide access to it. So this foreign object gets trapped and then surrounded by lots of cells and the cells continue to grow to keep this object trapped until it can process it and better protect the body the next time it is exposed to the foreign object. This is the job of the white blood cells. Children are more prone to "swollen glands" because their bodies haven't been exposed to as much crap as adults. I also learned that a healthy person could have an enlarged node because of a previous infection. Do you know how many lymph nodes the typical person has? I didn't. I had to look it up. Between 500-600? Simply amazing. I'm sure there is much more to learn but I found it fascinating. I learned something today that I didn't know before. The human body, my human body is SIMPLY AMAZING. It is a miracle. Eyes, heart, lungs, muscle, brain. And to think I can push this body to swim, then bike, and then run. It is amazing. I'm grateful for my health. I really am. I wake up every single more with a full heart thanking my Heavenly Father that I am healthy.

Encircled in His arms