New Jersey State Olympic Distance Triathlon

This past sunday both Scott and myself competed in the NJ State Tri. This was his 4th time competing in an olympic distance triathlon, but my first time ever!! We had followed a training plan for the past 16 weeks and felt we were pretty well prepared for the 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike ride, and then 10k run (6.2 miles). Scott was very happy with his time and I found out why he looks like death by the end of this race each year!! It's a VERY tough race... especially the run. Luckily I found a very nice lady to run with (thanks much Dafna) for at least half of the race. By the last 1/2 mile our "posse" was 5 strong and that made the run soooo much more tolerable. But it was a great experience, I finished in 3 hours and 21 minutes, was hoping for 3 hours, but it's my first and now I have a benchmark to beat next year!!! So, here are our pictures... enjoy!!!!

Visit with the Beibers (2009)

The girls woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at mom mom and pop pop's house (we stayed overnight since it was VERY late and we had plans the next morning for a playdate...) and were greeted by the Beibers coming for a visit!!! Joelle (my mom's co-worker) and her two kiddos (Corinne and Weston) came over to play. We had intended on swimming, but the weather did NOT cooperate and it rained almost the whole time. The kiddos did enjoy playing outside on the riding toys and then had a yummy lunch. As soon as they headed home, my two were sacked out... they were tired... tooo much fun....

Kimberton Fair 2009

Each year Kimberton Fire Company puts on the "Kimberton Fair". It's a "country fair"... and this year they even had pig races. We all got unlimited ride bracelets and went on tooo many rides to count. I was VERY excited because for the FIRST time in a long time I actually got to go on the "adult" rides... and realized I really missed those alot!! The girls even rode some rides with Sammy and came home with two fish (they named them "yellow" and "silver" ). So, we now have some "new pets". I had entered a few photos into the photo contest and was VERY happy to find out that I had won first, second, and fourth prizes... We finally got home after 10 pm... and everyone was beat....

Our trip upstate to visit Shirley...

Each summer we try to get upstate to visit some of my mom's family and we made the treck earlier this week. Angela and Elyse had a blast with Caitlyn and Madison and everyone enjoyed just chatting it up over a yummy lunch. Thanks for a fun day!!

another weekend of fun at the Scheib's

The girls got to enjoy a weekend at "camp mom mom and pop pop" last weekend... and of course it was a GREAT time for everyone involved. Scott and I got to enjoy some quiet dinners and the girls enjoyed pool time, all kinds of fun trips, and playing with Sammy (their neighbor's daughter).

beauty in our backyard...

just a few pics of the lilies in our backyards... it's still SOOO exciting seeing all of these flowers just "pop up" in the backyard... too cool....

candid pics of the Reedell chicks...

And as we all know I love to take pictures... so I always have my camera out for an opportune moment..... Inside this collage are some of the girls "painting"... they love being creative, and they LOVE showing daddy their pictures when he gets home from work. They also made pizzas one day for lunch and were VERY proud of their accomplishment... and didn't even make a mess - bonus!! Plus just about every warm day we are in the pool after lunch and they have a blast...

Lymes Disease...

Did you know, Pennsylvania is second only in the nation to the state of New York regarding the reported number of Lyme disease cases. ”

We have first hand experience in the Reedell household with Lyme disease. I was just diagnosed with Lymes on July 2nd. I was VERY lucky to catch it early. I wanted to share as much info on the subject as possible for you to protect yourself and your familes.

What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is an infection that is spread by ticks. You can get Lyme disease if you are bitten by an infected tick. But most people who have had a tick bite do not get Lyme disease. It’s still important to see your doctor if you have a tick attached to you that you can't remove.
Lyme disease is common in the United States. It can also be found in Canada, Europe, and Asia.
What causes Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria. Infected ticks spread the bacteria by biting people or animals.
Remove ticks as soon as you notice them. Infected ticks usually don't spread Lyme disease until they have been attached for at least 36 hours.
What are the symptoms?
One sign of Lyme disease is a round, red rash hat spreads at the site of a tick bite. This rash can get very large.
Flu-like symptoms are also very common. People in the early stages of Lyme disease may feel very tired and have headaches, sore muscles and joints, and a fever.
These symptoms can start at any time, from 3 days up to a month after you have been bitten. Some people don't have any symptoms when they are in the early stages of Lyme disease. And they may not even remember getting a tick bite.
How is Lyme disease diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms. A round, red rash may be a sign of Lyme disease. Your doctor will also ask about your activities to try to find out if you have been around infected ticks. You may have a blood test to see if you have certain antibodies in your blood that could mean you have the disease.
How is it treated?
The main treatment for Lyme disease is antibiotics. These medicines usually cure Lyme disease within 3 weeks of starting treatment.
It’s important to get treatment for Lyme disease as soon as you can. Talk to your doctor if you have had a tick attached to your skin, especially if you live in an area where Lyme disease has been reported. Look for early signs of the disease, such as a round, red rash that gets bigger or symptoms like those you'd get with the flu. If it goes untreated, Lyme disease can lead to problems with your skin, joints, nervous system, and heart. These can occur weeks, months, or even years after your tick bite. The problems often get better with antibiotics, but in rare cases they can last the rest of your life.
Can you prevent Lyme disease?
The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to protect yourself from ticks. Cover up as much skin as you can when you're going to be in wooded or grassy areas. Wear a hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and long pants with the legs tucked into your socks. And keep in mind that it’s easier to see ticks on light-colored clothes.
Use a bug spray that has the chemical DEET to repel ticks. You can spray it right on your skin. Check your pets for ticks after they've been outside. You can't get Lyme disease from your pet. But your pet can bring infected ticks inside. These ticks can fall off your pet and attach to you.

and here are some pics (the top two are of "the spot" on my side the first day it was diagnosed... and the bottom two are three weeks later...)

Philadelphia Women's Triathlon (7.12.09)

yes, the triathlon season is here... and this was the first of 3 in a row for me!! Today I participated (there were 1500 people total) in the Philadelphia Women's Triathlon. I was sort of "sceeved out" by the idea of swimming in the Schylkill, but it turned out no one was able to. We had ALOT of rain overnight and there was too much debris, so the race was now a duathlon. But the weather was PERFECT, and I was VERY happy with a new PR, and had a gret time!!! I placed 10th in my age group and 323rd overall... which is a GREAT finish for me!! But here are a few pics, I'm sure I"ll add more when the "professional pics" are published... but enjoy and hope you had a great day too!!!

Beach, beautiful weather, and the family... what could be better??

So, we went for another trip to the beach, but this time Scott was able to join us!! We had a blast... played the afternoon away at Brigentine Beach, then we went to AC with aunt Gerry for the evening, then to Wildwood to visit our friend Jen (and Elyse's friend Gianna) for the day, then to a GREAT habachi restraunt with Aunt Gerry. The girls LOVED the "entertainment" and dinner... champions I tell ya!!! Our last morning was a "bit on the chilly side" so we went to Lucy the Elephant in Margate, the Brigentine Mammal Stranding Center (in Brigentine) then to lunch in Brigentine. Our "last stop" was to go and play on the beach one more time... the girls had a BLAST running into the water and Elyse did a "bellyflop"... she's very talented!!! Then it was time to pack up and head home... we packed ALOT into a few days... which is typical for the Reedells!!! Until our next trip, enjoy these pics!!!