Yep That Smart Guy is My Husband!

The past two months have been nothing short of crazy. From triathlons to a 15 state journey toward our new CA home, this summer has been full of adventure and lots of excitement. Before we could start all the fun we needed to celebrate a huge accomplishment.........

Scott FINISHED SAASS!!!!!

Not a great picture... but that is his third masters degree in his hand!!!

This masters degree was not an easy degree to obtain.

Yes we get to keep every one of them!

Pictured above is the crazy amount of books that were read by him throughout the year. This picture does not include the books needed for research for the 110 page thesis that he wrote. Along with the 110 pages of thesis writing he also wrote a 10 page paper for every class he took throughout the year. To top all of that off, at the end of the year he had to sit in front of a board of 3 professors for 2.5 hours recalling every book he read. 

The books and writing are impressive all by themselves, but Scott did something that impressed me way more than the school work.... He made it look easy to the kids and I. In fact it was not until the end of the year that I realized this was not an easy task for Scott. He looked at me when it was all over and said, "This was one of the hardest things I have ever done." I was beyond shocked at that comment. The kids and I never felt the stress that this year placed on him. That is what I am most proud of. 

Impressed

Amazed

Proud

In LOVE with most amazing dedicated man I know!!! Scott you are a rock star! Thanks for being a man our kids can look up to. Thanks for putting us first even when life is throwing Clausewitz at you. 

Tell those who do what is right 

that things will go well for them, because

they will receive a reward for what they do.

Isaiah 3:10

Gracefully I look up.....

Back On Track... The Tri Story!

Wow, so much has been going on in our lives. So many exciting things have happen. Things that make me say, "I can't wait to blog about that!" Just haven't had the time.

Now, as I sit in a new "home" with a clear calender... I have nothing but time!

So back in time I will go, one Brodeur adventure at a time!

In May, I decided that I was going to do a triathlon, my first! We signed up for the Buster Briton Triathlon thinking this would be a great way to start this adventure! Then heard about one on Maxwell AFB the day before, so we signed up for that one, too! I mean why not??? Back to back sprint triathlons, sounds like fun.

I was very nervous but so excited! Scott and I had really started getting into the training and I was loving it. Being back in the pool was hands down my favorite. I love the feeling of hitting that swimmers high, feeling like you are gliding through the water with ease. I LOVE swimming and I have missed it so much. We also took the bikes off the trainers and hit the road. I had so many nerves with this. Let's just say I am not as fearless as I use to be. Adding these to the run made for a great workout. A workout that made you feel strong and actually felt like you did something.

So Triathlon #1 day came. Scott is so awesome in getting everything ready, to include me mentally. He is a great pep talker and encourager. He knows all my fears and knows how to take them away. Which he did perfectly for this race. I was completely ready for it.

All the gear packed and we were off to the race!

This race was great. It was a pool swim and the route that we biked and ran on was the one we trained on, so I was set. We both swam faster then we did while training. The bike was great! I stayed in the arrow position the whole time, which is a big deal for me. I didn't get scared at all!! I was on a huge high when it was time for the run, which went great also. The whole race was great. I was officially hooked! Could not wait for the next days race!

Triathlon #2....The Buster Briton

Open water swim in an Alabama lake, which means snakes and gar. Hilly coarse, which means fast downhills on the bike. All that did not phase me. I was still on Tri High from the day before. I was a bit nervous, but nothing that would effect my race.

So we lined up for the swim. I got in the water to test it out and all my critter fears went away. I felt like I was ready... Until... this silly lady... said the wrong thing!!! She asked me, "Have you ever done open water training before this?"  My response, "UH no!! Does that matter?" Her response? "Uh, I guess not..." With that look that says, "Silly goose, how have you not swam open water before today!?" That was it, that was the comment that put me in super freak out mode. I entered the water and panic rushed through me. That with half the lake in my lungs, and I went into doggy paddle survival swim mode. I reached the nearest kayak grabbed on while Scott treaded water next to me. He got me refocused and I swam hard and fearless the rest of the swim!

Then came the bike! I got out of the water ran to the bike ready to go, popped down in my arrow position and I was off. Then I felt like I was going way fast down a hill, so naturally I decided to slow it down a notch. Silly Tara, you can't hold on to one side in the arrow position and other side in the regular position, you will loose balance!! Which is exactly what I did. At mile one I had a "Jesus take the wheel" moment and crashed! I was a dirty, teared stained hot mess. My bike was in the exact same state! Then my night and shining armor appeared. Scott helped me get cleaned up, fixed my bike, and got me refocused to ride 13 more miles. With my hands on my brakes on every downhill, and there was a lot, I finished the bike ride.

As we changed into our running gear Scott said, "If you trip on the run you are intentionally trying to have a bad race!" Guess what... I DID NOT TRIP!!! In fact I ran a pretty good run, finished the race and became a TRIATHLETE with battle wounds to prove it!!!

I faced all my fears and conquered them and cannot wait to do another. Next on our list is an olympic distance tri with ocean water swim. I am hoping to not doggy paddle and keep my bike on the road. If I can do those two things, oh... and avoid a shark attack, I will call it a success!