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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
06 July 2009 @ 12:43 pm
Adam is DEFINITELY trying to kill us... This is from last night's Idol Tour opening night in Portland. How am I supposed to sleep after seeing THIS? (If this is your pic, let me know so I can credit you, it's lovely!)
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
05 July 2009 @ 06:44 pm
The rest of my Saturday was uneventful. John and I layed around all day watching TV and drinking wine. It was raining when the symphony was suppsoed to start, so I'm glad we decided not to make the effort. The only big deal was when my mom called to tell me how wonderful the big family party my aunt had yesterday afternoon was. I was like "What party?" and she swore up and down we had been invited. I don't think so. John and I would have gone over if we had known about it! Oh well. Fail there... I slept off and on a little overnight, but not well.

Sunday morning, I woke up from a dream about MCas (It was totally clean, you dirty minded folks! For some reason he and I were looking for something on a beach???) I was running late and grabbed a quick shower before tossing my music together and heading toward church. Today was the day we got to meet our new pastor. She seems very nice, and I'm glad she has a sense of humor when she speaks. I can't wait to get to know her better. We had a major screwup on music team but noone outside the group actually caught it. Our piano player started one of the songs in the wrong key! But we were able to save it and hide it pretty well. Wow.

After lunch, a dozen or so of us went to the China Buffet for lunch (pix in the previous entry). That was a blast, even if Wendy insisted on insulting my husband way too many times. After lunch I came home and napped a bit and watched part of the Tour de France. I'm headed back to bed shortly... Laters.

PS This is what I'm hooked on today:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVHoTbdCcxY
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
05 July 2009 @ 02:05 pm
We had a huge group from church go out to Chinese for lunch...
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
04 July 2009 @ 10:30 pm
My 2 cuties watching TV...
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
04 July 2009 @ 03:02 pm
Pix  
Let's see if any of the fireworks photos come through. There should also be a pic of John on top the grade school jungle gym if this works...
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
04 July 2009 @ 02:04 pm
Friday was a good day for me, finally. After a rough week, I just had so much stress to deal with... Work was fairly quiet but went by ... soooo ... slooooowww ... I could hardly stand waiting until 8am to get out of there. I got home quickly enough to gather my stuff and maybe make it to the 8:30am lap swim session at the Y,s o I gave it a try. I hopped on my bike and headed over. Got a nice 1 mile swim in,t hen biked home to drop off my bag and locks and stuff, then headed out for another longer bike ride. I felt great, and upon arriving home, decided to go for the full triathlon workout and grabbed my shoes and running bag. When all was said and done, I did a 1 mile swim, 8.2 miles on the bike, and 3.2 miles running. My run was amazing, 28:23, my fastest run of the year on that route... after a full triathlon! I came home and got a shower before John and I headed to town to mail some stuff and get some lunch. Dangit, we forgot the post office closed early for the holiday, so the items I sold on eBay have to wait until Monday. Oh well. We grabbed some fast food and went to the park to enjoy the beautiful day as we ate. We sat near the fountains. It was nice and relaxing. After we ate, we walked through the flower gardens before heading home. I got a little bit of a nap while John read. In the evening, we grabbed some water bottles and headed over to the schoolyard a cuople blocks away to hang out and maybe watch the fireworks from there. We played on all the toys and watched some local kids for a bit before deciding to walk around to look for a better viewing area. We sat in front of the hardware store for a bit with a few other local families, but eventually decided to go back to the place we watched the fireworks from last year, the middle of the road in front of the grade school (2 blocks from our house!) We had a great view of the display, and I tried to get some photos. I'll post them if they look halfway decent when I upload them. It was a gorgeous night and John and I weren't ready to call it a day yet, so we walked over to the grocery store (which was packed at midnight!) to get some crackers and a green pepper. The crackers were eaten quickly upon arriving home, as we had some spicy spinach and feta hummus calling to us. Both of us crashed out hard after that.

I slept nearly 12 hours tonight, finally making up for not sleeping all week. I felt good when I got up, and found John in the kitchen making a nice lunch. We had Philly steaks with cheese, green pepper, and onion, the mixed rice we bought at the market earlier this week, the last of my cucmber salad,a nd some wonderful apple crisp I made at work yesterday morning for dessert. It was all complemented by some great wine John's friend gave us. I watched the Nathan's hotdog eating contest and part of the tour de France coverage so far today,a dn will probably eventually go back to bed. It's a holiday and I don't even feel like getting dressed... We may go to the symphony tonight, or we may jsut stay home and drink more of this wine...
 
 
What I hear:: Nate Marshall - You Found Me
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
03 July 2009 @ 03:40 am
Thursday wasn't bad this week. Work was OK, but I was still happy to get out of here... I napped for an hour before John and I went to our last week of Bible study for the summer. It was an intereseting discussion, but not as heated as the last one. After group, John and I decided to go to Pizza Hut for the lunch buffet. We had a frequent eater card that was full, so one of us got a free meal! We ran into the nice couple we met at that really weird wedding reception a couple of weeks ago, and talked to them after we finished our meal. I tried to sleep,a nd succeeded in geting a couple hours before I was wide awake again. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I pulle don gear and went for a nice evening run. 4.2 miles 41:57. Not bad for aiming at a 10 minute mile training pace, huh? Anyhow, I got a shower and JOhn gave me a footrub before I was able to get back to sleep. I only got like 5 hours of rest, but that's more than the last couple days combined. What's my problem? Tonight has been pretty quiet here at work,a nd I got a bunc hof those stupid trainings done. I still have like 28 more to go! Thank goodness it's almost the weekend. Fireworks tonight and maybe the Symphony tomorrow. REgardless, no obligations this weekend, so maybe some rest!
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
02 July 2009 @ 02:40 am
Another day of failed sleep, but the day was mostly win otherwise. Work went a little better, although I got into a brief spat with a coworker that wasn't fun. After work, I couldn't sleep, so I did some reading and writing before John came home. We decided to go out to Golden Corral for lunch, then road tripped to Goshen to the used CD store and the Maple City Market (whole, organic, and bulk foods!) We came home with a pile of music, including Rick Wakeman, Greg Lake, David Bowie, Tears For Fears, Stevie Nicks, a couple compilations, and more, as well as some fresh spices and my favorite snacks from the market. I finally got to sleep around 4:30pm, and for some reason was awake again at 6:30. FAIL! I did get a little more rest before work, but this is going to be a long night...

PS Yay to Nate finally getting a Twitter... But now I probably should watch how I talk about him over there :)
 
 
What I hear:: Greg Lake - In The court Of The Crimson King
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
01 July 2009 @ 04:39 am
Tuesday was a fail kinda day. Anything that could go wrong did. Work just couldn't get over fast enough. We had one person ticked off an yelling most of the night, and when they stopped, and other one started. Ugh! I think I dropped everything except for the actual residents while giving showers,a nd actually traded off one shower to my coworker because I just couldn't handle the whining person any more. It was rough. I ended up soaked, frustrated, and ready to leave. After work, I went to Walmart and picked up the Idol Season 8 CD and some munchies. You know I was frustrated when I came home and started COOKING! I made lunch for John, then went out for a run. You REALLY know I'm frustrated when I have a blazingly fast run. 3.2 miles in 28:47! John and I ate lunch together, then I tried to rest, try being the key word. I just could not sleep. I played around ont he computer, and figured out how to make my card reader work. Yaya! I layed around and watched TV most of the evening, totally unable to sleep. Tonight hasn't been too bad, except that I've been doing these stupid online trainings that my company is requiring of me. Boring! I'm hoping to come home and be able to sleep today so that I can go to the pool in the evening...
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
30 June 2009 @ 05:32 pm
Nate posted some new pix today and this one is just too adorable not to share!
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
30 June 2009 @ 03:51 am
Today was fail. Work went OK, and I was trying to relax and wind down to sleep when I received an email from my boss. Apparently my company, who I've worked for for nearly 16 years, is going to require me to retake a whole bunch of NEW HIRE TRAINING because they can't find the paperwork showing that I took it, oh, back in 1994! I was ticked off, and made a bunch of phone calls. I signed a waiver for the same situation a few years ago, and guess what? They can't find the waiver either... My boss was able to get them to remove the requirement of vehicle training from the list. I've only been driving their vehicles for 16 years, you know... Anyhow, I was so steamed when John came home that I pulled on running gear. He hoppe don his bike next to me and we did the 3.2 mile boardwalk loop (It felt awful! 32:55) At least that helped me calm down... In good things today, I got my glass mug from the Glass City Marathon I did in April. It's really cool. I did get some good sleep in the afternoon, and woke up just in time to see the first-ever repeat of an American Idol episode. They replayed Season 8's Michael Jackson night as a tribute to the fallen entertainer. I can't complain, because I got to see Adam and Kris again... :) I got more sleep before coming in here to work. It's been a rough night, not fun at all. So to wind myself down, I went and created a LJ community for Michael Castro ( http://community.livejournal.com/michaelcastro/ ) , since he doesn't have a fangroup here on LJ yet. I know a handful of you are fans already, but I figure if things go well in the next few months (Good luck Michael!), I hope he'll get more attention and that the group will grow. At least 2 of you on my flist need to go join and help me get the group going!

For those of you that like free music:

Michael Johns posted today on his myspace blog that his single Heart On My Sleeve is available as a free download over at Amazon.com right now.
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
29 June 2009 @ 08:47 pm
WTF?  
FAIL! After 16 years, my company decided I need to retake all the *new hire* training modules because they lost my paperwork?

Sent from Jen's Palm Centro SmartPhone
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
29 June 2009 @ 02:53 am
I already talked about the triathlon, what about the rest of the weekend?

Friday I came home from work early and John and I wen tto breakfast at Maria's. We love their spinach and feta omelets! I napped some and got up in the afternoon to pack some stuff for the race. I went to packet pickup and the race info seminar they offered for new triathletes. It was very informative, and I felt much more comfortable after the discussion. I finsihed packing and headed to bed. Surprisingly, I slept very well.

Saturday I was up at 5am to prepare for the race. It went well, and after the race I got cleaned up and napped a little bit. Mom and Dad and Briley came and took us our for dinner at Schoops (a 50's burger joint). I showed them part of the course before they headed of to the event they were in town for. John and I watched some TV before I dozed off HARD.

I woke up Sunday morning and got ready for church. It was a fun morning, with a couple very meaningful testimonies given instead of a sermon. After church I came home and went back to bed. I slept off and on in the afternoon, played online some, and watched Ice Road Truckers before another nap before work. It's been pretty quiet here tonight, so I've done some of my online trainings, as well as loaded some pretty MCas, Adam, and Nate pix onto my phone :)
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
28 June 2009 @ 12:51 pm
My faves from the old beauties we saw...
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
28 June 2009 @ 12:44 pm
We pulled out of the church lot behind these 8 beauties... They stopped at the park so we pulled in for pix and chat. These folks are all from Southern Michigan and go out joyriding every third Sunday. FUN!
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
28 June 2009 @ 10:05 am
To wake up and find out someone I like made it through their Idol audition this week makes me happy. Dangit, now I'll have to watch Season 9 next year...

Sent from Jen's Palm Centro SmartPhone
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
27 June 2009 @ 01:15 pm
Today was my first official triathlon, the Winona Lake Optimists Sprint Tri. I've done 2 indoor triathlons over the past winter, which meant a pool, stationary bike, and treadmill and no transitions, but those just can't compare with the real deal I did today...

Weather: nice, mid 70's, light breeze from the east, not too much humidity. We got lucky after this miserable week of heat and humidity!

This was a whole new experience and I was up early. I live across town from the race, so it wasn't a big deal to get over there and get my stuff together early, before there were lines for body markings, ankle chips, and to put your stuff in your transition area. I thank each of you who gave me advice over the past few weeks. I took alot of it to heart and used it today. I set up my bike and my gear (look back a couple entries for a photo of my setup!) and just sat on the curb to watch the other athlete prepare and take notes. I was really glad they had a seminar at packet pickup for newbies that was full of instructions, tip, rules, and more, and was pretty sure I was ready. I got to talk to a couple of my college cross country teammates (and one of my college coaches), plus a few other friends before final instructions were given. They announced that the water was 84F, too hot for wetsuits. Fine, I don't have one anyway LOL, but that was like bathwater warm water. Too warm for my swimming tastes. All 639 participants lined up by the beach to watch the first few waves take off. I was in wave 8, so I started near 8:30. By then, I had an idea where people were standign up in the water and things like that. Our group went out and the horn went off. I was in for a shock! I was prepared for the swim, but not for the mass amounts of seaweed. I had no idea there would be so much, or that it could cause so much drag. Between that and the total blackness of the water, due to all the previous waves before us, my swim was really rough. I took a couple backstroke breaks to keep my mind in the game, because that seaweed was just crazy. After the turnaround, we were ehaded right into the sun. So much for finding a sight point. I stayed near the rope to try to keep myself straight. I heavily apologize to the person who I kicked in the head (several times) on the return trip... I saw the buoy and stood up. Yay,t he swim was done, now to focus on the bike! I ran up the path while I pulled off my goggles, cap, and earplugs. I didn't tell too many people I was doing the race today with a nice ear infection, but when I pulled my earplug out of that ear, the sudden pressure change caught me off guard. Ouch! I had no problem finding my bike, since most people had alaready been there before me. My transition went well, considering this is my first swim/bike one ever. I was glad I had set up a small footbath to get the sand off (thanks for that tip!) and dried my feet before putting the rest of my gear on. I grabbed my bike and was able to run with it through the rest of the transition area. My watch said 16:something when I left transition. I got off to a decent start (thanks for the tip to change gears before setting upt he bike!), but whoever's bright idea it was to put a giant hill in the first 2 blocks of biking needs to be shot... The open road bike course was nice. I saw one of my college teammates in front of me and passed her, but she later got me back. Everyone was respectful when passing, and there was good traffic control along the whole ride. I hydrated well and ate some Power Gel Blasts (the gumdrop like things) in the bike, and think I did well in getting the right things into my system. Early on, I did spit up some of the lakewater I had inadvertently swallowed and my body didn't like, but was fine otherwise. My bike was amazing, much faster than I had anticipated. I felt better as the bike went on, and picked up speed on the return ride. I passed more people than passeed me, which made me happy. I got back to transition and dropped my bike gear. This one was much easier because all I needed to to was grab my hat and take off. I didn't have too much problem with my legs on the changeover, a little tiredness, but nothing major. As I left transition this time, my watch said 1:08 something, way ahead of my planned pace. Woohoo. And my strongest event last. I passed a lot of peole on the run, but my body was starting to feel it by about mile 2. I knew what the course was like, since I train in the area, so I went ahead and walked the couple hills. I took liquid at all the water stops (each mile),and decided that next time I'm taking my refueling belt with me. I'm too used to being able to drink whenever I want, and that did mess with me a little today. There was a giant hill at mile 3, and my old college teammate blazed past me. Go Julie! I had no idea I had transitioned faster than she had, and was surprised to see her. She looked strong! There was a heavy downhill in the last half mile, and I had to walk it, my legs didn't like it much. We turned onto the last stretch, and I was able to pick up some speed and pass like 4 people in the last quarter mile. My watch said 1:45:57. I was so excited! My goal had been 2 hours, and I had smashed it by 14 MINUTES! When I crossed the finish line, my ear decided to speak up and my equilibrium went whacko when my motion stopped. I had to be held up for a couple minutes, but my excitement quickly took over. Not only had I done it, I had done well, not made too many mistakes, and has totally outperformed my expectations!

I cooled down, ate a bunch of pizza and pierogies,and chatted with my friends before awards. The final finisher got a 7 squad car police escort with sirens blaring and lights flashing, so we all went over to cheer for her. She was so excited!!!! At the awards ceremony, I just missed getting a prize in the Athena class, but I won a freaking ENTRY TO ANOTHER LOCAL TRIATHLON (read that as $60 entry fee!) in August in the doorprizes!

I had a great day.

I got a big surprise and a good laugh when I finally got home and stripped down for my shower. I found seaweed in my suit, in my (oh so tiny, I can't imagine how it actually stayed there) cleavage, and even in my butt. I had to have John look me over to make sure I got it all. ROFL! SEAWEED IS NOT MY FRIEND!!

Tonight my Mom and Dad and Briley are coming up to take John and I to dinner. What more can I ask for?
 
 
What I hear:: Michael Johns - Hold Back My Heart CD
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
27 June 2009 @ 07:29 am
The transition area is getting busy...
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
27 June 2009 @ 06:58 am
I'm all set up and ready to go...
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
27 June 2009 @ 06:51 am
Everyone is setting up in the transition area. I found a couple of my college friends/teammates here!
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Jen Savage (DeGroff)
26 June 2009 @ 02:10 am
What can I say about today? The passing of not one, but two icons overshadows pretty much everything else. Rest in peace, Michael and Farrah...

Otherwise it was a pretty normal Thursday. I got off work early at 7:15 and grabbed a nap before class. After that, John and I went to the bank, the bookstore (where I got extra Rolling Stone mags with Adam on them, if anyone needs one!), and ate lunch at Mad Anthony's. I came home and went to bed for a bit. I woke as they were talking about MJ being in a coma, and had been awake less than 5 minutes when they changed it to tell the world he died. So sad... The rest of the night I watched stuff on Tv, and napped a little before work.

My ear is still hurting, should make for fun in the triathlon...
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
25 June 2009 @ 07:19 pm
RIP Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett!

Michael: May you now find the peace you never seemed to find in your life.

Farrah: Now you truly are an angel.

What a day...
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
My bookstore got me a couple more copies of Rolling Stone with Adam on it.
I've already had several people ask about them in the 5 minutes since I
mentioned it on Twitter, so I'm putting one *absolutely mint condition*
issue up on ebay...

It's located here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300325511254

Love you all,
Jen
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
25 June 2009 @ 05:10 am

When was the last time you stayed up all night? What were you doing?


View other answers



LOL, I work nights, so I stay up every night...
 
 
Jen Savage (DeGroff)
25 June 2009 @ 02:27 am
Since when is Indiana supposed to be 94F and 85% humidity... Ever? Yuck. I got off work early this morning, and went straight to bed. I slept off and on, but did finally get some decent rest in the afternoon. About 7pm, it had cooled off, so I pulle don my gear for the last run before my tri this weekend. It was so humid out there, combined with the heat, that I cut my run short after only 2 miles (20:20). No sense in pushing myself with a race 2 days away... I cleaned up and did a little reading before crawling back into bed. Nothing exciting, it was just too hot today...