Thank you...

Yesterday, I said at least one hundred "thank you's" as I rode 150km around the Ironman bike loop.

To start it off, Anne arrived just as I was leaving the house at 7:00am to drive to Penticton. She wanted to come and putter in the yard. (Who was I to say no? After all, it will always be her house, too.) I did buy a bunch of snacks and left thank you notes for her...but I couldn't stay and help. I had to go and ride the course.

When I got home, I am not sure who worked harder - me on my bike for 6 hours...or Anne in the back yard! The yard is almost caught up and I am so grateful to her for helping me. I was overwhelmed, to say the least, before she arrived.

All the black dirt is now visible after we (OK, mostly Anne) picked the dead early-summer wilfdlowers and plants, weeds, etc. Where ever you see black dirt...Anne's been there in teh past couple of days, doing her magic! Now, the jungle isn't a jungle any more...it's a little orchard paradise!

There's only a little left to finish in this corner and I can do that!

As I went to sleep lastnight, I was replaying the rest of the day in my mind as well, thinking about all the things I am thankful for. There's nothing like a 6 hour bike ride to bring me back to "myself" and remind me of all that I am thankful for.
On the bike ride, in the 5th hour, that's the part where you and all the family were cheering (in my first race) with Kate and her red sweater lower down the long slow climb...and you and everyone else up higher near the top (at Yellow Lake).
This is the photo that Carla took in that race when all of you were cheering on that hill.

On my training rides, it is where I always say my "thank you's" b/c it's the last difficult part. Once I've made it up this hill, the last hour is easy on the bike and I get to continue my thank you's there, too, as I fly down the hills back into Penticton at 50-60km/hour.

All day, on the ride, I found myself saying thank you to to the people in my life, who give me that tail-wind every day, which also, seemed to push us along on the bike ride, too. (Mom, thank you for that little tailwind...I'm sure it was from you.)

I was really nervous about the ride, considering my minimal training, but it was a perfect day. The first two hours, went by so fast, and then the climb at Richter pass seemed to give me more energy, rather than take it. The 4th hour felt like a little game, going up and down the 7 rolling hills and then we got to the Yellow Lake hill which was very hard, but proved to show me what I'm made of, and not what I'm not. (Thankfully).) And the last hour...well, that's a gift in itself, b/c you barely have to pedal for about 45 minutes. When we finished, we went for a swim, had a huge lunch and drove home, tired and thankful.

As I was going up the hills, I noticed how they look so big from far away, but when you get closer, the hills seem to disappear and the road unfolds to be less daunting than it originally appeared to be. Every hill, when I look at it from afar, looks so BIG...but as I get closer, it seems to sort of disappear and before I know it, I'm half way up it, almost by surprise.

I guess it's that way in life, too. From far away, anything and everything (like the back yard) seem so big and daunting...but up close, little by little, the mountains disappear once we just get started.

Lately, I am finding myself in the middle of things, not really sure how I got there, but so grateful for how things always seem to work out. It seems that I'm not really "driving my own bus", and I'm sort of just along for the ride. It feels great to not be so in control of everything, and instead, just holding some kind of vision and faith that things will work out how they are meant to.

Mom, I love you. Thank you for teaching me to just get started when things seem unsurmountable. Thank you for being there with me out on the ride! And thanks for the tailwind. You remain the wind beneath my wings, always.
Love you,
Crystal
PS Let me know what you think of the yard!!