So excited to see my article finally in print. So thankful to be recruited by the fine folks at POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED magazine to write a “how-to” article for them. Pretty cool to see my work, my words and my photos in their magazine… and knowing that it is just now arriving in potter’s homes around the world. Kinda crazy, right???

Hey wait… that looks like my Living Room wall?!!! I would recognize that orange paint finish wall anywhere. Especially with a constellation of my textured wall pillows on it? Pretty slick, huh???

Just fanning through some slick pages in the mystery box. Good to see it all came together nicely. I’ve very excited, and very pleased. I love it. Can’t wait for everyone to see!!! Oh wait… maybe you’ve already seen it by now???

Sure, the “sneak peek” envelope was nice… but a box full is so much better.
Can’t wait to show everyone what I’ve been up to!!! Coming soon…

I love when a plan comes together. I’ve been working on a little “project” for awhile now… and soon enough there’s going to be a “Big Reveal.” I got a a nice envelope in the mail today with a little sneak peek.

What’s not to love about running through the City with thousands of other runners… with marshmallows, candy, M&M’s and more along the way? And then to end with hot chocolate & hot fudge fondue at the finish line? Another “sweet” run today… The 15K Hot Chocolate Run.

My favorite musical is celebrating the big Three-Oh!!!

Hard to believe that “Les Miserables” has been entrancing theater audiences for thirty years now! That darn barricade continues to fall, Eponine is STILL on her own, people are dying every single night on stages all around the world. And yet I can’t get enough of it. I’ve already seen it “too many times” live on stage, the recent Hugh Jackman movie version more than a few times, as well as DVD versions of the 20th & 25th Anniversary Concert Events. So image how excited I am to see that there was a 20th Anniversary Concert Event… hopefully coming to DVD really soon!!!

A beautiful building facade along Lake Shore Drive’s Gold Coast all lit up to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was the prettiest thing during this morning’s gray, misty & drizzly bike ride.

Last night was the ArtBash Gala Fundraiser to benefit ArtReach Chicago. Unfortunately I couldn’t go to the ArtBash because of ART IN THE BARN conflicting on the same weekend. But I did get a opportunity to donate ten soda-fired tumblers for the VIP Swag Bags.

Exciting to see some of the happy faces that sent me a Selfie from the evening’s Gala festivities! Hope their “adult beverages” tasted even better in one of my stamped tumblers!

Triathlon mornings start very early. Thousands of hopeful triathletes all bringing their bikes & gear into the Transition Area… which opens at 4:00am!!! It’s the place where you store all of your gear, and will return to repeatedly throughout the race to change for each leg. This morning was so misty & foggy, we all kinda looked like gorillas in the mist.

And for the record, the Chicago Triathlon is the LARGEST Triathlon in the US!!!
More than 9,000 athletes from across the country run, bike, and swim along Chicago’s lakefront. It’s the fifth oldest triathlon in the world. Athletes from 46 states and 18 different countries. Kind of exciting!!!

Here’s a view of the Transition Area from above… now that’s a LOT of bikes!!!…
courtesy of the Chicago Triathlon Facebook page.

And then, once you have all of your gear sorted & organized by race, it’s time to get ready for the swim – and head over to the Swim Start. Since I was doing this race by myself this year (my Tri-partner in crime Chris had to bow out with a bad stress fracture), I didn’t really have anyone good to take photos “during” the race. We’ll have to wait for the professional race photographers to send out their shots of the triathletes… to see how goofy I look in mid-stride!

Today was the second and third triathlons to complete my Chicago Triple Triathlon Challenge! Yesterday we did the SuperSprint… and today was International distance immediately followed by Sprint distance.

So I started with the Swim in Monroe Harbor. Basically straight across form Buckingham Fountain south to the Shedd Aquarium and then back north to the Chicago Yacht Club. Luckily for all of us, the water temperature was SO MUCH better today than yesterday. A full 8-degrees warmer! Which makes a HUGE difference. Yesterday’s water temperature was 56-degrees! Today, an almost “balmy-by-comparison” 64-degrees. Still cold. Who am I kidding? But not so cold that it hurt like yesterday!!!

Some more photos from the Chicago Triathlon Facebook page… of course, it was a lot darker when I started in Wave #1. My start time was 6:00am… about 20 minutes BEFORE sunrise!!!

Then it’s back to the Transition Area to change for the Bike portion. Then it’s up onto Lake Shore Drive headed all the way to Hollywood where LSD ends. Turn around and come back to the city. Then it’s a few more miles “under the city” as we ride Intermediate Wacker Drive and the “best-kept-secret” Busway to McCormick Place and back. Again at the Transition Area to switch to my running clothes. Then it’s off south to 31st Street Beach and back to the Grant Park Finish Line.

And by “finish” I mean of Triathlon #2… Number Three still to come!!!
So it’s grab a medal, some Gatorade and head back to the Swim Start where they’ve moved our wetsuits & swim gear there for us already. Another change of clothes and it’s back in the water. This time it’s shorter… basically even with Buckingham Fountain north to the Yacht Club. Then “transition” back to bike gear for another roundtrip on Lake Shore Drive up to Hollywood and back. One last “transition” and it’s back in running gear for the last leg. This time the Finish Line does indeed mean FINISH!!! Triathlon #3 DONE. A celebration… and a HUGE sigh of relief!!! I made it… yeah me! Luckily, my friend Nancy was there to hang with and snap a few pictures. She has done the Sprint Relay swim portion… not quite exhausted, and willing to be my photographer!!!

Not only did I get my three medals… I also got a commemorative Triple Tri running vest. Only the “official” Triple Tri finishers got them… and that’s me! An official Triple Triathlete!!! 58.8 combined Triathlon miles for the three distance. Whoo-hoo!

After the race, Nancy and I hung out for awhile and then I finally got a great stretching session from the folks at Athletico. A little tight, a little sore… and very thankful for their “magic hands.”

So here we have it, the end of my day and the end of the Chicago Triple Triathlon Challenge.
Another adventure under my belt!!!

So what’s next???