LookBack
I realize these “look back at the year” posts are really only meaningful to the people writing them, but what better time to reflect and appreciate the year you’ve had before you jump into a new one. Plus, it’s fun digging through old pictures. 
So here are some of the great things that happened around here in 2011:
Kicked off the year with my college sorority’s 30th anniversary celebration, meaning a fabulous reunion with friends.
We celebrated the arrival of new babies…
…and the marriage of friends.
We turned our rickety deck into a screened in porch…one of those projects that you think will take 3 weeks but really takes 3 months.
In April came my only race of the year. It was an absolute blast- one of the best I’ve participated in, the Rugged Maniac mud run.
I skipped drinking these:
when we got our biggest news of the year.
A baby!!
Which was followed by this:
Baby blog time.
Turns out we weren’t the only one of our friends expecting- lots of babies coming soon!
Spent the summer in my favorite place: on the water. An early summer of wakeboarding and a midsummer beach trip.
Followed by my 2nd 24 hour bike ride. I’ll use the term “24 hours” loosely this year. 
I worked on my photography skills.
And grew my business.
The husband and I celebrated our 5th {6th?} post-graduation college homecoming. {yikes}. And I graduated with my Masters.
There were countless fun Junior League events.
And lots of spending time with good friends.
I’d say it was a pretty good year. How was your 2011? How will 2012 be different?
Training
I was so anxious to get back on a wakeboard after taking a year off for my bum knee that I didn’t stop to think about the consequences of a somewhat dangerous sport. I know, stopping, thinking, consequences- boring stuff.
I’m sure I would have done it anyways, but now, two weeks before my big bike ride, I’m sitting here with a sprained ankle. All because I was a liiiitle reckless wakeboarding in too-rough waters.
Although my ankle is mostly healed now, and I believe it will be fine in time for the ride, it’s definitely put a kink in my century training plan. {Walking doesn’t bother it too much, but pointing my foot or turning it sideways is almost always a mistake.}
What started out looking like this:
Now looks a little more like a couple of 8-10 mile rides here and there.
For now I’m doing a some awkward looking one-legged trainer rides, although I’m not sure that’s helping any. As soon as vacation’s over, it’s back on the trails.
And by the way, I’m not scared of my bike any more. Actually, as soon as I got on and went for a ride or two, I laughed at my own ridiculousness.
Really the only thing that bothers is me is finding a safe place to ride with an appropriate road-bike surface. Still working on that one…
Fun
Only a mere week of re-declaring wakeboarding my favorite form of exercise, it goes and retaliates against me.
Apparently 4th of July weekend is just a little bit popular at the lake. As in, probably the most popular weekend of the entire year. That translates to boats.everywhere.
Wakeboarding requires a little bit of spaces, and smooth waters. Neither of those existed this holiday weekend, but of course we wakeboarded anyways.
But not for long.
Three runs in and I found myself flat on my face, tearing the board off my feet, and getting pulled back into the boat yelling things about a broken ankle and hating wakes.
Of course I didn’t break my ankle, but I did sprain it. The culprit? Crappy bindings that didn’t fit. My foot slid out of the bindings and proceeded to get stuck upright in the ankle part of the boot; I was then crushed by a serious of other boats’ wakes which sent my board into a spiral with my feet attached in all the wrong places.
Add that to this:
And you have disaster.
Oy vey.
Fun
I’m pleased to say my return to wakeboarding after a two year hiatus was a success. Although it has left me more sore than a 50 mile bike ride {oooch}.
Our lake may not be the most picturesque lake in the world, but it’s still one of my most favorite places to spend a summer day.
After we exhausted ourselves with some wakeboarding runs, we moved on to the infamous tree-hung rope swing.
Apparently we weren’t the only ones with the same idea- it was bit crowded.
There might have been a little bit of showing off.
And now it’s time to go recover… For the record, I fully consider wakeboarding a valid form of exercise.
Don’t forget: today’s the last day to enter to win a case of ZICO Coconut Water!!
