Stuecker Family: 2008

Old Town

We took the girls to Old Town this weekend to see the "Big Tree" and do a little window shopping. What were we thinking? The decorations held their attention for about 10 seconds, after which they wanted to play on the stairs and get a treat from the Candy Lady. It was a nice day anyway and was good to get out in the crisp, 60 degree winter weather.

SOMA

Oops! I was wrong....this was our 4th trip to Tempe:

2005 - John did the Half Ironman

2006 - John & Joe both did the Quarter

2007 - John and I both did the Quarter - Miss LeeAnna watched the girls

2008 - John did the Half and I did the Quarter (picture below)

I'm rounding up pictures but I can't find any from 2006. Check back soon.

Triathlon Season

This is our 3rd annual trip to Tempe for the SOMA Trithlon. John raced all three years, but I only have done the last two. This year he did the Half Ironman and I did the Quarterman (again). It's starting to look like our ski pictures - same outfits, different background. It was great to see our good friends the McGraws who moved to Tucson last year. Jasmine didn't race this time -but if she had, she probably could have beat me on the run.

Litespeed Saber & Specialized Dolce Elite if you are squinting...

The girls stayed overnight at Grams house so we could go and do the Patriot Triathlon together. Interesting course - uphill both ways. Sounds like a grandpa story but it's true. My Coach/Trainer was there at the finish line to cheer me on which was fun....but then I felt guilty for spending the better part of the run designing a Voodoo Doll for him in my head!

My biggest fan helping me set up the transition at Elephant Butte, NM. Sarah, Barbara (John's mom) and I headed south for the Elephantan Triathlon. I was hoping to inspire my daughter into the sport but she was almost in tears after we drove the bike course - she was scared that I would fall off the mountain. I was a little nervous myself...it was a tough course! We also stopped in Socorro, NM on the way home to show Sarah where Mama & Daddy used to live when we first got married. She wasn't impressed with that either.

My locker room @ Vallecito Lake near Durango, CO. You can say what you will about a minivan, they are pretty darn useful. I thought a Rocky Mountain lake in September would be freezing, but it was suprisingly warm. Too bad I'm such a chicken, or I might have had a fantastic open water swim.....it's creepy being out there alone.

I sprayed cooking spray on my legs so my wetsuit would come off easily in transition. It worked! And my legs look nice and shiny:)

This is my friend Debby Casson. You can't see her cape, but she's SuperTriathleteMotherofTwoTeenagersAndMathProfessor@UNM. She rocks!

Halloween

What child doesn't love Halloween? It started with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch (see below) to pick the perfect pumpkin. Then, Sarah and Katie chose the face templates they wanted, we printed them, taped them to the pumpkins and had the girls poke holes to make the patterns. John used a wrench and a small nail and both girls were able to "cut" their own pumpkin. It's good to be married to Macgyver.