Saturday, January 31, 2015

And so it begins....

I always feel like the real start of our season begins with Mid Atlantic Erg Sprints at TC Williams High School.  We took 25 rowers!  A great turnout, including quite a few novices! Mids is always a tough competition since the cream of the crop come, but I think everyone had a great time.  Zack only did the Quad Slide event with his friends, he didn't feel like doing his individual age event and I don't blame him.  There slide took 3rd place right behind the Senior quad.  5638 meters vs. 5574 meters.  A difference of 64 meters!  Both did better than last year.  A good day! I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, but that's okay.  None of the other coaches seemed even remotely interested in making sure kids got to the warm up area or to their races on time...so I did.  Maybe I should have let them fend for themselves, but that's not my nature, especially the novices.  It was a great day.
Mighty Junior Quad - Zack, Connor Grubbs, Josef Millner and Bart Creed

Buddies since freshman year!

In action!



Tuesday, January 27, 2015

My first milestone reached!

I'm still going strong on my resolution to run/row this year...2015 kilometers (1252 miles).  I hit the first milestone...
I love the bib we get for each 100 miles we run. I plan to paper my whole room with them!  Actually the hardest part of my resolution is the damn fruit snacks!  It's a daily battle, everyday I look at that box of snacks that I have for Zack and I want to eat just one.  They are the perfect little snack... 

Monday, January 26, 2015

I tried, I really tried

Does anyone else see an issue with the choices Zack is making....

Now, I have to admit I'm not the best vegetable eater, but I know that when the kids were little I made sure we ate vegetables or fruit with every meal. So, it does concern me a little when I allow him to choose his own vegetable...

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Boys Day

John and Zack took off for a day of skiing.  Our weather has been crappy around here, but up in the mountains it's been snowing quite a bit.  The forecast called for rain, but it snowed instead, but at least the forecast kept the crowds away.  They didn't have to wait in any lines and just skied up and down the hills.  I didn't go, but I spent plenty of time worrying at home....broken ankles, dislocated arms, falls from the ski lift... I just saw a news story about deaths caused by falling from ski lifts...
But despite all my worries or maybe because of all my worrying... they stayed safe and sound!

Man down


Put your hands on that safety bar right now!

After their day skiing, they spent the evening watching Animal House!  I'm not sure I approve....I guess Zack loved it and they had a blast bonding over the idiocy that is that movie... good man time I guess!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

The Not Christmas Letter

I've decided that I'm not even going to make excuses for not getting a Christmas letter done.  If there's anything people don't need it's another Christmas letter, so I like the tradition of picking some other "day of note" to send my letter out on.  So... here's my National Compliment Day letter.
_____________________________________________________________________________


Since it appears that I am physically and mentally incapable of getting a Christmas Letter done by Christmas…
Happy National Compliment Day!
(Jan 24th)
You look amazing in those pants!

            2014 has been a great year for us, we really are so blessed that I hate to even write this letter for fear I’ll either jinx us or alienate all my friends for writing one of “those” letters!
            John is still moving and shaking at Spectrum Healthcare and runs both satellite health clinics for Ft. Belvoir Hospital.  They recently received a contract to expand both clinics and will be adding 10,000
new patients.  He’s really running his own 2 cities.  He hunted almost every weekend this season, but the white-tailed deer proved to be a canny and elusive opponent.  He really had to work for it this year, but I’m pleased to say that there will be Hyzy jerky in the house this year and that’s all we really care about! Last but not least, he is the high scorer in his Half Century Hockey League!  Like I said, a mover and a skater! J
            Brenna is starting her final semester of college.  OF.COLLEGE!  I have no idea how the Wonder Child became a senior in college, but it makes me a little teary-eyed.  She has applied to a graduate program at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and since they practically created the program for her, it looks like she’ll be heading out there in May.  Again with the tears…  She’s still working with bats and that will be the primary focus of her graduate work, but she should end up with a Masters in Wildlife Ecology.  She turned 21 this year and is enjoying all the perks that go along with that, including bonding with John over Beer!  She is an amazing young woman and after all those years of trying to sell her to the gypsies the thought of her being so far away is… is… enough to make me start drinking…more…
            Zack is a junior in high school. A.JUNIOR.IN.HIGH.SCHOOL!  I feel like everything about Zack needs to be said in capitals because he continues to amaze and perplex us!  He’s now DRIVING! IN.A.CAR!  While I love that he can get himself wherever he needs to go, it freaks me out when I pass him on the road.  He’s on the Academic Team – think Jeopardy in a team format.  More incredible he gets a lot of the questions right… these are questions that I have trouble even following to the end.  How does my kid even know who Kierkegaard is, let alone buzz in under pressure and answer correctly!  He and a friend started a Chess club at school, which now has about 25 students attending… who is this kid?  To top it all off, he stroked (rowed in the lead seat) his boat to a top 12 finish at the Nationals regatta this year!  He’s smart, handsome, athletic, funny, kind… practically perfect. If only we could get him to pick up his damn clothes, throw his trash in the trashcan and stop hiding fruit snacks in his bedroom, he really would be perfect!
            I’m still running – 12 races in 2014, including my 1st Half Marathon.  It was amazing and horrible, but mainly horrible! J  I ran with my brother, Ian, and SIL, Cari, which was the amazing part, but the actual running part…not so much.  The other result of running my 1st half…my 1st tattoo!  Because nothing celebrates the misery of running 13.1 miles more than the misery of getting a tattoo!  13.1 on my inside wrist.  I also picked up an oar for real and learned to row.  After years of watching, cheering and encouraging, I decided it was time for me to give it a try.  Rowing was also amazing and horrible, but mainly amazing!  I made a ton of new friends, learned so much, and pushed myself more than I thought I could.  I will be back next year!  I’m still doing all my volunteer stuff, making copies everyday and trying my hand at coaching.  Most days I hardly know if I’m coming or going… but it’s all good!
            Like I said, it’s been a fabulous year in the Hyzy House.  We are so thankful for our families, health, home, happiness and friends!!  We have much to be grateful for and try to make sure we appreciate all we have everyday!  Our door is always open, the sheets are mostly clean and the dogs only slightly annoying; we’d love to see you anytime!
Happy 2015!

 John, Julie, Brenna, Zack

Friday, January 23, 2015

You did what???!!

      Yesterday we had yet another 2 hour delay!  Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't mind them - although they really seem to be going overboard after their first bad call!  Today it was for fog? freezing rain prediction? cold?  I'm really not sure what, but whatever it might have been - safety first!  It didn't really do me any good, I was already up and getting ready to go to the gym.  I'm loving my early morning, get it over with, new exercise plan.  I don't love the getting up at 430am... but NOTHING beats the feeling of walking into school at 645am and knowing that I am DONE with my exercise and anything else I do all day is just icing on the cake!  I think that must be the "runners high" everyone talks about.  It's not during the run, that part just sucks, it's the after run, that's the great part!!  Yesterday was Thursday and I was scheduled to hit the treadmill, I was planning on doing 4 miles, that's what was on the schedule for Run this Year.
      Well, I got on the treadmill, and I started out a little slower pace (5.8mph) and after about 3 miles, I was feeling like I could do it all day - so I thought to myself, "Self, let's see if we can knock out 6 miles. You'll still be able to get to school by 8am and that's an hour before everyone else." I kicked it up to 6.0 and kept on going.  Got to about the 5 mile mark and was still feeling pretty strong, music was jamming and I thought - "well if you can do 6 miles, why don't you just aim for 10.  Then you can really feel smug and if you push it, you really don't have to be at school until 9, plenty of time. You can probably even sneak a shower in."  The treadmill shuts off at an hour, I hopped off took a quick 30 sec walk around the floor and got ready to go again when it occurred to me, if I just hit the repeat button and did another 6 miles that would be amazing.  So off I went.  As I'm running, upped the pace just a little bit to 6.4, I had another thought... how cool would it be if I could put on Facebook "What did you do with your 2 hour delay?  I ran a half-marathon!"  Because we all know it all about what you can put on Facebook!  The more I ran, the more I thought - I really want to be able to say I ran a half-marathon!  Don't get me wrong the 2nd 6 miles were not near as "easy" as the first 6.  I stopped briefly (5-10sec) a couple of time to stretch out my back and shoulders that were twingy.  Miles 10-12 were pretty yucky.  When the treadmill shut off for the 2nd time at that 12 mile point - Yipee! I was pumped.  1.1 miles left to go and I will have just run a fucking half-marathon!  Took my quick stretch walk around the floor, set that baby for 11min and hit it for the last bit.  I turned it up to 7.0 the last half mile and finished it and didn't die!  I didn't even feel that horrible.  I'm pretty amazed with myself.
I promise I only laid down for a minute to "stretch", but it sure felt good!
 I'm not going to make excuses that I did it on the treadmill instead of outside or that I didn't increase the incline.    
That is some serious sweat action going on!
 In keeping with my Resolution - I am proud of myself, 13.1 miles is 13.1 miles.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Bad Ass

37 degrees, pouring rain, 4.5 miles.  Training to be BadAss!


Saturday, January 17, 2015

It's a January Miracle!

Remember this tragedy....

It turned into this...



John took an old antler that he had and crafted a new handle for my most beloved knife!  I can't believe he just made a new knife for me!  Now all is right in the world, or at least in the kitchen.


Thursday, January 15, 2015

It doesn't get any easier

So, my girl headed back to Radford.  It just doesn't seem to get any easier.  She's turned into such an amazing young woman, that I hate to see her go.  I feel like my friend is leaving and now who am I going to hang out with.  I don't even want to think about her going to Wisconsin in May.  At least when she's at Radford she can come home on the weekends or we can pop down to see her.  Not going to think about that right now.  As soon as she got back, she jumped right back into caving and bats.
This is what Brenna gets to look at while she's at "work"

Little brown bat


Getting ready to go caving

Big Brown bats

Brenna's favorite bat - Lariurus Borealis

Sometimes she just amazes me!


Sunday, January 11, 2015

5 words or less per picture

Most precious babies 

Words to live by

Sending pics from Brazil

Our weather - B's in Brazil!

This makes me smile everytime!

Good sick day buddies

Saturday, January 10, 2015

My husband is just plain crazy!

John headed out today for one last chance at hunting.  He got one deer this year, but otherwise has been skunked.  The deer just haven't been coming his way.  He's helped quite a few friends get deer, but the "elusive big one" has escaped him.  But, this family eats venison jerky at a prodigious pace, so he felt compelled to head out one more time...
Even though the temperature was 7...freaking.SEVEN.DEGREES!  Our high today was only supposed to be 28, so there wasn't even much hope that it would warm up.  But he persevered....

And brought 2 more home!  A medium doe and a smallish doe!  Hurray!  He dropped those babies off at the butcher, we'll get burger and lots of meat to make jerky!  Mama is a happy camper and I think he can relax and stay warm!


Thursday, January 8, 2015

Not a Chance

It's 10 freaking degrees outside (not counting the wind)
I'm on Day 3 of my juice fast - it hasn't been bad, but I do get pretty hungry and I'm feeling a little draggy, can't tell if it's the fast, allergies or the winter crud everyone has
and
another 2 hour delay for school today!

Gold's Gym - you didn't stand a chance in hell today!  I'll make up the miles somewhere else.
But, I promise I'll try and keep our date tomorrow!

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Treadmill Success

     I did it!  I ran on the treadmill and there were no YouTube Videos made, nothing embarrassing at all.  I ran and it was good!  I was hoping to do 3 miles, but it went so well I went ahead and did 4 miles! I set it to run at a 10min pace and I actually felt strong and like I could keep going forever.  The last little bit I increased the pace a little bit. I didn't use any incline, I figured it was better to fun flat while I was still figuring it out.   Treadmills now are like frigging space ships.  There are 2 control panels with eleventy-billion buttons.  You can control the treadmill in numerous manners and you have your own personal TV that you can control as well.   Although I still sort of feel like if you are watching TV you really aren't exercising.  The only problem with not watching the TV is that then the monitor serves as a reflective surface and it forces me to watch my reflection run.  Since the monitor is mainly at boob level, I'm able to evaluate the appropriateness of my sports bra, which seems to be doing it's job.

Let's evaluate the Treadmill...
PROS:
1.  No hills, unless I choose them.
2.  No wind
3.  No dodging dog poop piles
4.  Warm
5.  Light

CONS:
1.  Boring... not as boring as running on a track, so that's a good thing, but still I think it's going to be boring eventually.
2.  It's inside, which is really only a CON when the weather is good, in which case I won't be running on the treadmill anyway.

So, it looks like the PROS win.  I thought people watching would be a definite entertainment factor, but unfortunately at 530am in the morning there really aren't that many people in the gym and those that are there are pretty serious.  I think most of the entertaining posers must come out after work.

So all in all, a win!  I'll continue with my Mon/Fri 530am Erging and Tues/Thurs 530am run.   I still haven't discovered the "Runner's High" that everyone talks about, when I'm running it still pretty much sucks and I hate it.  But the "high" comes at 645am when I'm driving to work and I know that my workout is done for the day!  That part is freaking AWESOME!  I know I'm done and anything else I do the rest of the day, walk the dogs, run at practice, sticks of sorrow with the boys, is all icing on the cake!  That is the high that will keep me getting up at 430am... I hope!!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Sometimes being bad is good! Or at least it tastes good!

When you know you have a 3 day juice fast coming up, sometimes you want to throw caution to the wind and eat whatever the hell you want...
I'm not ashamed to admit I ate both of them all by myself!  Now the Lays bag was the snack size and not the full size bag, but nevertheless...  I know you are supposed to "prepare yourself" before the juicing, but I like to prepare myself by eating everything I can think of before I start!  Going to try and do 3 days, just to get my head back in the game and out of the chocolate covered pretzel bag!  I wasn't terrible over the holidays, but I definitely let some good habits go.  So here's to trying to get back in the swing. 
I'm also going to step out of my comfort zone tomorrow and try running on the treadmill!  The high temperature is supposed to be 34 tomorrow with snow and there's no way I'm going to get up early and run in the dark and freezing cold, so I'm going to give the warm treadmill a try.  We'll see....  I just hope I don't become a YouTube video!

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Best Christmas Present update....

I loved my new running shoes, my Captain Kirk USB drive, my rowing jacket, but it turns out theed the Ronco sandwich maker was the big winner!  I originally purchased it for Zachary, because I got Brenna a crock pot and you know... matching presents.  BTW, it's not Ronco really, but that's what it makes me think of - like the Ronco egg scrambler I got when I was in high school.  You put your egg on this little stand and a tiny needle pierced the egg and then when you pushed down it magically stirred and scrambled the egg IN THE SHELL, so all you had to do was crack it into the pan and Voila! ready to cook.  Because, obviously it takes SOOO much more time to crack it in a bowl and stir it with a fork....but I digress.... Anyway.... I bought Zack this breakfast sandwich maker, in the hopes that he would eat something besides poptarts and fruit snacks for breakfast...


This sandwich maker is the bomb!  I think someone has used it every single day since Christmas, most days more than one someone.  You can use english muffins, bagels, bread, ham, bacon, sausage - Brenna tried avocado... the combinations are endless!  McDonalds you are dead to me!


Saturday, January 3, 2015

The night the lights went out

       Ever since the kids have been old enough we've had a definite division of labor when it comes to putting up our Christmas tree.  We all go out together to the local nursery on the corner - find a tree, hopefully in 15 mins or less and get home before anyone can cry, get mad, get bored or pinch someone!  Once we get home, John and Zack unload the tree and get it into the stand, Brenna is in charge of lights and I generally make the emergency light trip to Target to replace the lights that WORKED when we packed them away, but at the whim of the almighty Light Gods, refuse to work now.  Brenna and Zack divide up the ornaments so that each can hang their favorite ones until they get bored or the lure of their electronics call to them and they wander off. I stand by and hang the Island of Misfit ornaments that no one wants to hang but still deserve to be on the tree.  Finally, I bribe the kids to please come down and help me hang the beads.  Usually, only Brenna feels guilty enough to help; Zack sometimes wanders through the living room and will toss a bead strand or two on the tree if I beg.  It's our system and it works for us.  At the end, we all gather to admire our beautiful tree.
        When it's time to take the tree down, everyone gathers together and we work like a well-oiled machine and get that tree taken down in a flash, there might even be singing....NOT! When it's time to take down the tree, it's like a ghost town in our house. But in all honesty, I don't really mind taking the tree down and putting everything away.  There's organizing and tidying and often throwing out of things, all of which make my soul happy.  Except for one thing....THE LIGHTS!  Oh the FREAKING LIGHTS!  I don't know what kind of messed up logic Brenna uses when she puts those lights on the tree and I don't know if she is consciously or unconsciously fucking with me, but those lights could not be any more tangled if she was winning a money prize!!  There is NO WAY to get those lights out of the tree without using an axe, scissors or a hacksaw.  I'm just so thankful that I no longer have little ears listening around corners!  I also think it is very interesting that Brenna always seems to disappear, this time she jetted off to Brazil, so I can't even text her to complain!  Smart Girl! :o)

Friday, January 2, 2015

Sometimes it's a bad day and sometimes its a good day and sometimes it's both

A real tragedy occurred today....

I have had this knife since I left for my first day of college in 1988.  I was 17 and now I'm 48- that's 30 years of service this knife has given me.  I use if for literally everything!!!  I cut everything with it, fruit, veggies, meat, bread, paper - I could poke things with it, stab things with it, wave it around in a menacing manner... it was my Go To Knife and now it's dead! :o(  I'm not sure what I'm going to do without it.  It certainly will hamper my culinary exploits!!

In the midst of my mourning, I had to go to the grocery store and it was as if the powers that be knew I was in a vulnerable state.  This is what awaited me....
Oh joyous day!!  I snatched them to my chest and skipped joyfully to the checkout!!  There's always a silver lining!
Plus when you are feeling down there's nothing like precious puppies to make you feel better!


Thursday, January 1, 2015

New Year, New Blog, New Resolutions 2015

I have been really remiss in keeping up with my blog.  I'm going to try and go back and fill in eventually, but for now, I'm just going to start fresh.  We had a very quiet New Year's Eve.
 Brenna jetted off off to Brazil to spend 9 days with Melanie and some family friends.  John, Zack and I destroyed some crab legs, watched a movie and went to bed hoping the new year would arrive without us actually ringing it in!
It did!

I ran my first race of the year - The Resolution 5K.  Which led me to think about my Resolutions for 2015.  I found a website called Run this Year.  You can either run 2015 miles or 2015 kilometers.  I'm going to go for the kilometers instead of miles, it will be easier.  Either way it's going to be insanely hard to accomplish, it's 3-4 miles everyday, but it will give me something to aim for.  I'm also going to include all the meters I'm erging as well.  Since I'm erging 3 days a week, that will hopefully help me get there.  I won't worry about races every single month, but will still try and do some as I feel like it.
The 2nd part of my Resolution - is MUCH MORE DIFFICULT to accomplish.  I've decided that I need/should attempt to GIVE UP FRUIT SNACKS!  Oh how I love fruit snacks!  I blame it all on little Evey Price who first introduced me to them about 2 years ago.  It's not like I eat an inordinate amount of them, but I do eat more than I probably need to, maybe 3-4 little snack packs a day.  Which isn't that bad until you consider each bag has 90 calories, which again isn't the end of the world 4 bags = 360 calories, until you realize that a 3 mile run is about 300 calories.  In essence, if I eat 3-4 little packs a day, then I have totally negated my 3 mile run - I might as well have not even run!  Say What??!!  
The other part that will make this difficult is that the entire Crew Team is addicted to fruit snacks as well.  We call them Fruit Crack.  I will have to continue to be the Crew Team Fruit Crack supplier, but refrain from partaking myself.  The True Test!

Here's to 2015 - resolutions, health, happiness and success in whatever guise it takes.