Day 90

Hello!! Miss us? Pretend and say yes! :)

Summer seems to have hit us full blast the last few days in our little part of the world. I love the heat! LOVE. I just have to make sure to work out early enough before it gets too unbearable. Troy has been hitting his list of peaks like a madman and having an awesome time doing it. I keep waiting for him to have peaks that I will be able to join him on but so far they are pretty hardcore and I am...not so hardcore.

Today was kind of an odd day for me. Not necessarily bad but let's say...eye opening. Thankfully I know that regardless of what any day may bring, I am loved. A lot. That is what counts the most, right?

 Speaking of love...Gracie (Grady Grady as she is called around here) is trying to move in on my man!

Till next time,

Romy

Day 89

Troy left earlllly this morning to climb two peaks. I believe that will leave him with only 20 left out of the 100 highest peaks in Oregon to climb. Gooo baby!! If you want to know more about his trips, click the link over there >>>>>>>>>>> and check out his climbing/swimming/triathlon blog. 

Below is his backpack that he climbs with, I cannot imagine carrying that much weight while climbing so so many miles. It isn't unusual for him to come home from an overnight trip and having walked 25 PLUS miles. Obviously up hill one way. In extreme weather. Have I mentioned how amazing my husband is? Once or twice? Well, he is pretty freaking phenomenal. 

It is not even 7pm and I have already been missing him like crazy for the last few hours. I am such a wuss! We were going to make it a family trip but with three dogs, it isn't always feasible. I can't complain though because we take an awful lot of trips every month. Missing him is only a small part of what I feel while he is on these trips...I am also so very proud of him and of course I worry. Troy has been climbing mountains since he was very young and there is not a person alive that I trust more than him, and I appreciate that he never takes any unnecessary risks. I have an amazing husband.

Till next time,
Romy

Day 88

Dinner and a movie with Troy...throw in some hand holding and licorice? Perfection. Life is pretty good. 

Till next time,
Romy

We Haven't Forgotten!!

I know, I knowwww!

Troy and I have been so bad about updating the blog, sorry! We have been busy celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, Troy was on vacation and well...we fell behind.

I promise to get back into the swing of things this week. 


See you soon!
Romy

Day 87

My youngest pug, Hudson, turned 8 today. We did some of his favorite things...ran around outside.

He ate a whole lot of his favorite treat, carrots

He enjoyed a lot of birthday boy attention. 

I would say that he had a really good day, I would also say that today was like pretty much every day in their lives. They may be just a touch spoiled. Tiny bit. 

Till next time,

Romy

Day 86

What's worse than a rainy and cold weekend? Spending hours Saturday trying to fix a virus on Jeremy's brand new laptop.

Luckily, Troy was able to fix it. Yahhh!

I have been feeling so cruddy this past week and it is not doing very much for my running schedule. I am hoping to run in the Walla Walla Marathon in October and am so excited! Hopefully, if I spend the next few days resting, I will be able to get back into training this week. Fingers crossed!

I promise to be more exciting this next week. Looking over the posts, Troy is in the lead for more awesome pics. Boo. I am going to have to fix that!

Till next time,

Romy

Day 85

The morning after the storm.  I "weathered the storm" in my little REI Crysalis one person tent (lower left) and woke to a partly cloudy sky.  The decent weather didn't last long, about an hour after I snapped this shot it was snowing and blowing again.

Troy
GoPro

Day 84

Another nice sunny...or stormy day in the mountains.  I snapped this shot while hiking along a ridge that led to Granite Creek - East Peak in the Wallowa Mountains of eastern Oregon.  Winds were blowing a steady 30 mph and gusting to over 50 and snowing.  For the most part the visibility was less than a 100'.  I'll be posting a climbing post in the next couple days.  Oh and yes I did reach the summit!

Troy
GoPro

Day 83

It seems pretty unreal to me that Jeremy graduated from 8th grade today! I remember when he started middle school just three short years ago, I was so anxious his first day because I wanted everything to go so smoothly for him. It did. He seems to have flourished so so much since then, he has been on Honor Roll more often than not, his sense of humor has grown nearly as fast as he has! He traveled to WA and NYC with his class, he has joined football...just so much. Jeremy is the kind of kid that never ceases to make those who love him proud.

I am going to let you in on a little bit of a secret. See his dad up there? He may or may not have been tearing up today at the ceremony. Sssh, keep that just between us.

Till next time,

Romy

Day 82

I think Troy's cold from last week found me. I spent most of today in bed doing a lot of sleeping and a bit of reading.  I finally dragged myself from the bed to the couch and this lovely little lady decided that she had to get reallly close to me to cuddle.

Till next time,
Romy

Day 81

Marble Mountain, Wallowa Mountain Range in eastern Oregon

I'll be posting more information about the trip on my climbing blog tomorrow.  After an amazing 24 hours of climbing I'm happy to be home.

Cheers,

Troy
GoPro and Android

Day 80

My little sweetheart, Dudley. <333

Till next time,
Romy

Day 79

Good movie. Good drinks. Good lunch. The very best company.

Cheers!

Till next time,

Romy

Day 78

June 1st brought us our 5 year wedding anniversary and also a pretty wicked cold for Troy. Poor guy, he really tried to ignore how badly he was feeling. I woke up to a very nice breakfast and the bed we ordered came in so he put it together even though he felt horribleeeee. After that, he was out for the count. No matter...we can always celebrate another day. :)

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!

Thank you for an amazing 5 years, I am so very proud to call you my partner in this beautiful life.



Till next time,
Romy

Day 77

Home sweet home for the few days we were camping!

Till next time,
Romy

Day 76

I want to start this blog by telling you a few things...first - I am a city girl. I was born and raised in NJ, about 5 minutes outside Manhattan. I moved to Southern CA as a very young child and spent a large majority of my life there before I moved back to the east coast for a few years. I happened to marry an avid outdoors man who could probably build a house out of old sticks, mud and a bit of chewing gum and then spend the rest of the day rock climbing.  That being said....

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Troy and I go camping quite a bit. By quite a bit I mean, very often. The very first time we went camping I wore silk Victoria's Secret pjs...not bc I was trying to be romantical but bc they were pant pjs! I thought they were perfect. I froze. The very first time we went hiking I wore really expensive Coach boots. Hey, they were boots! They were ruined.  I like to think that over the five years we have been married I have become one with nature. Or at the very least I know how to pack and what to expect.

Duck Lake

My lovely husband spends a lot of time planning our trips, mainly because he is a huge planner and also because he wants to make the trip as enjoyable as possible for me. On the first day of our vacation, it was fantastic. We hiked for hours and I did great. Ignore the fact that I fell while crossing streams, freaked out when I saw horse poo because I was certain it was from bears waiting in the trees to eat us, or that I fell while walking on logs and Troy had to give me his socks because within a mile or two I had major blisters. We won't discuss any of that because I completed the hike and it was worth it. The view was gorgeous and on the way back I felt like I had finally crossed over to the other side...I was officially no longer a city girl.

Mule Deer

The second day, I woke up raring to go. Troy wrapped up my blisters and I had on my game face along with walking poles to help me up the very steep climb that was ahead of me. I was READY. 

All the way until a mile into the hike. That is when it happened. The hard trail gave way to mushy disgusting mud. I lost it. My nature loving went out the window as I started to envision what was under those leaves and mud. I was 100% positive that I was walking on animal body parts, dead rodents and God knows what else. The mud was almost more than I could stand. So like any self respecting PITA ( pain in the a$$) I started to whine. Whining shortly gave way to sobbing because I was just so far out of my element. Troy was ever so patient as he had me sit on a log while he ran up ahead to see how long the corpse filled mud would last. He came back and promised it was nearly over. He took one look at my bratty face and said, okay let's turn back. Aside from the first time he told me he loved me...those were the happiest words I have ever heard in my life.

Back at camp, I begged him to go ahead and do the climb because I knew he was looking forward to it. After much promising that I would be okay, he took off. I spent the next few hours tanning and reading on my Kindle while eating chips. Ah, the life. Once a city girl....always a city girl and I am so okay with that. 

Till next time,

Romy

P.S. All these lovely pics were taken by my husband because well...my meltdown did not include time/ room for pictures. 

Day 75

On our first day we hiked up to the Blue Hole, a narrow canyon on the Upper Imnaha River on the east side of the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area in eastern Oregon.

 

 

 

 

Upper Imnaha River exiting the Blue Hole.

Ponderosa Pine Cone along the trail.

We had an amazing time camping for a few days along the Upper Imnaha River at the Indian Crossing Trailhead.  More photos to follow...

Day 74

Who kept the faith and fought the fight; The glory theirs, the duty ours. 

 Wallace Bruce

Troy and I spent today together, laughing and having a wonderful time outdoors. 

Pictures aren't great, but spending Memorial Day with my favorite person was lovely. 

We are going to be taking a short internet break starting tomorrow and while we won't be blogging, we promise to take a daily pic and catch up on the blog before the weekend!

Until then, have a wonderful week...may it be filled with much happiness and warm blue skied days for  everyone!

Till next time,

Romy

Day 73

*Warning - this post is going to be picture and mush heavy*

Troy completed in the Onion Man Triathlon today and he came out the gate a powerhouse.

Troy is wearing sleeveless wet suit with yellow around the sleeve. 

He had a swim that was nothing short of amazing. His time for a 1500 meters was 18.05. In layman's terms...he swam his a$$ off.

Start of the men's division.

Cycling, was 1.15...he was expecting a bit faster but the wind was blowing like crazy so even with a few extra minutes on his time, he was pleased.

Transitioning for run.

Troy will say that he wasn't happy with his run. He felt a bit dehydrated and he maybe didn't eat enough due to nerves in the morning but...he completed the 10k in under an hour.

Picture taken by a friend, thanks Kathy!

Well deserved drink.

Yesterday when we went for a hike, we went through part of the 10k trail and I pointed to a tree along the way and told him that when he passed it today to think about me waiting for him at the finish line and being so, so very proud of him.  Proud isn't even a strong enough word. Today was incredibly emotional for me, knowing how hard he worked...to see his commitment in completing this was pretty inspiring. The entire day I felt like my heart would explode with pride. 

Troy is a million different beautiful, inspirational things...today was a day that I know the both of us will remember for the rest of our lives. 

Congrats, my love...you are titanium for sure. Next stop...Ironman. 

Till next time,

Romy

Day 72

We went for a nice, long hike today at the nearby lake to enjoy the pretty day. Troy didn't want to push it too much with this being the big weekend, but staying home and doing nothing is typically not an option either of us enjoy. 

The hike was just awesome, we had a really good time ( I may or may not have stood on a bench dancing like a geek and singing a little, until I was informed that sound carries realllly well and people could clearly see us ) even though he pushed me to go up vertical like hills! He was awesome about being patient and gave me great tips on how to get up a steep incline using a climbing rest step. Once I started to get the hang of it, it was easy peasy to go up hills. I didn't even feel it at all. Oh and I wore my Vibrams and they did just awesome. The gravely roads never bothered me once and I loveee how great they feel. 

I have spent a lot of the last decade in poor health. A lot of ups and downs with various illnesses and there were many times that I never thought I would get through it and back to my "normal" self. I was half right. I got through it for sure but I am feeling much better than I ever have. Life is good. I was telling Troy today that I will never ever stop pushing myself physically because it is just a must in my life. If I can, I will. :)

So these roads you see here, aren't simply dirt trails to me. They are pure joy, because not only can I walk them....if Troy had wanted to run them...I could have. 

Okay, that's it for today. I think I have rambled enough!

Till next time,
Romy

P.S. Troy took all the pics!

Day 71

Full day! Luckily, the week is finally over. Troy and I went over to Bennington Lake today for a swim and little run, it was nice if not a bit chilly. His idea of taking it easy was a swim and a bike ride today. Sigh. I am not surprised though!

I had no idea what to take a picture of today because I didn't take my camera or cell to the lake and was whining about what to shoot. We were driving down the street to the sporting goods store and he said, "just stick your phone out the window and take a picture!". So I did. Impressed? Lol. 

I have to start getting serious about weights. I do so, SO much cardio and very little strength training which isn't good. So I spend a lot of time trying to sort out what I need and what I should be doing.

I know for sure what I don't need...

Who wears that! Who runs around with a Power Chute! Not me, that's for sure!



Till next time,
Romy

Day 70

Unsettled weather which is very fitting for an unsettled week.  Not exactly what I was hoping for in the week leading up to the triathlon, but life is kind of like that sometimes.  Sunny weather on the way!


Troy
Droid

Day 69

I have had this rosary hanging in all of my vehicles for the last um....19 years or so. I like looking up and knowing it is there.

I am for sure not the best Catholic ever but I have very strong faith. There isn't a day I don't take a few minutes to give thanks and whisper a prayer or two for loved ones and those that I know need them. I rarely discuss religion because it is a private and personal thing. People believe what they believe in and as long as they respect my views, I will respect theirs 100%.

Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof. 
Khalil Gibran 


Till next time,
Romy

Day 68

Happy Tuesday! Good day today. A bit of rain but I was able to get in a nice run. I didn't go as far as I wanted to today but it was still pretty decent. Troy came home from work and we went to Bennington Lake so he could practice for his triathlon this weekend. There were no angry fisherman anywhere in sight!
I can't believe it is almost here! Troy has been preparing for it by working out 3-4 hours a day for the past few months and to be honest, I am in awe of his dedication. He is pretty amazing.

After a quick bite to eat we went over to Rite Aid and I snapped a quick cell pic of all the pretty flowers outside. They almost made me wish I had a green thumb so we could plant a bunch of them but the reality is that I just don't. Plus, the thought of possibly touching worms while digging in the soil pretty much ensures that I will never have a green thumb.  I know I can wear gloves but no. Just no. Ick.

That's it for me today. I am off to watch some tv and spend time with my better half.

Till next time,

Romy

Day 67

Sooo much rain today. I was able to get a run in during a brief pause in the wet weather but Troy wasn't as lucky. He came home looking like a drowned rat after his run.

Pic today is simple enough...pretty tree in the rain. The end.

May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all your heart might desire. ” 
-- Irish blessing.

Till next time,
Romy

Day 66

What a morning! We went to Bennington Lake this morning to do another run so Troy could practice for Onion Man which is next week already. While he was standing there looking out at the water, I took a quick shot and I love how it came out. I assume he was thinking about how cold the water would be.  Brrrr.

When I took the pic, I had no idea what was about to happen. A few minutes later when walking down to the boat ramp, a man that was there fishing with his wife let every one within a 1/2 mile radius know how displeased he was with anyone getting in the water to swim. My husband kept his cool during the "conversation" and never raised his voice. I wish I could say the same for me. Ahem. I may or may not have had a few things to say to the angry fisherman. Maybe. About an hour after we left it was just funny. We have spent the rest of the day repeating one of the angry fisherman's lines and then cracking up.

I would share what I said to him and what his line was....but this is a PG blog.

Till next time,
Romy

Day 65

Beginning the taper before the Onion Man which is less than seven days away!  Instead of a long training ride Jeremy and I had a nice mountain bike ride up to Bennington Lake.

Troy
Droid

Day 64

Such a nice day today! Watched a fun movie, saw a guy running around in leather pants with only suspenders on playing a saxophone, went for drinks with Troy AND got carded. Seriously? Does it get better?

Till next time!

Romy

Day 63

After work I drove home picked up my bike and of course my new shoes that Romy gave me for my birthday/anniversary gift and headed out for a 45 mile ride with one of the local bike shop groups.

Best part of the evening...Romy taking me out to DINNER!!

 After the ride I was a little hungry.

Running, biking, and swimming through life,

Troy
Droid