And the troops come in

The momma and poppa bear arrived last night on a non-stop flight from Newark - mercifully, the car ride from the airport is a short 15 minute drive. The Kona airport is amazing - all open, no tv monitors, literally all-open. It is like a tropical garden, with luggage carriers! When they exited the plane, I placed leis around their necks and we hugged and hugged and hugged. My parents are two of the most amazing people. My mother was a principle dancer with the Clevland Ballet company and my Father is the most amazing Doctor on the planet. The two of them are not only far more talented athletically than I am, they are also intelligent and kind beyond words. I have never doubted for a second their unwavering support of my various crazy ideas. Heck, they were fine when I kept adding majors to my college career and didn't hesitate a second when I told them I wanted to graduate early and then spend what would have been my last semester in Europe with my bicycle. Yea, they rock. And they are here.

Yesterday was another wondrous day in Hawaii. I was up at a ridiculously early hour as my body clock is still reading East Coast. Not a bad thing, since 4 AM feels like 10 AM. I took a jaunt over to the Pier in Kailua-Kona - the swim start for the race. Coach J and I hopped in the water (meanwhile, he had already surfed for 90 minutes and done a 3 hour hike - when I went back to bed). I didn't want to swim 1.2 miles out into the ocean alone, so I made John swim with me. He agreed, but only if I lead. No problem!

There are few things that feel better than salty sand beneath your toes - and that first rush of jumping in the water. I love to swim and this was the greatest swim of my life - seriously - this coming from the girl that refuses to swim in a pool from May-October. The clarity of the water is unmatched and I had no idea how deep we were - turns out you can still see crystal-clear to the bottom even at 40 ft!! I swam through schools of fish - brilliant color combinations that not even the most talented artist could mimic. Huge sea turtles and coral. The salt water makes swimming a joy as it adds buoyancy to my small, sinkable frame. As we got far out, J began tugging at my foot - the water was getting dark and the visibility reduced. There was no one around for a good .6 of a mile. Ok, let's go back! I turned around and we headed back to the beach. It's at moments like this, I think of my Grandfather - the original swimmer of the family. He swam every day of his life and I still remember him being upset the day before he died that he didn't get a chance to swim. He swam in everything - oceans, ponds, rivers, the occasional pool! He swam with sea turtles, dolphins and a lot of scary things, but he was always ok. When my grandfather was alive, none of us shared his passion for swimming... now, almost 8 years later, my Father swims every day and I swim across the same bodies of water, in the tracks of my granddad.

The sitings of wildlife are amazing - as are the spottings of pro athletes I adore. New England is represented well with Tim and Cait Snow, Alex M and M and many others - it's an honor to call these people friends and have the chance to share this place with them.

Here are a few pics from the past few days - I finally found internet - YAY! Mahalo for all of your support!
Surfer boy - coach J catches some waves in the pre-dawn hours!
Taking it all in - from the lanai. Yes, my hat is super cute. Thank, Jimmy for the sweet Oakley "breathless" glasses - they RAWK!!
Beautiful sandy beach - a respite from the lava rock. Despite all the people in the water, the sea turtles and dolphins come right in! So therapeutic, you'd almost forget you have to race....