What's in a Name?

So some of you may be wondering, "Kristie, what's the deal with the name of your blog?"


Here's the skinny:


I have requested the permission of the event coordinators to sign up to be a member of the American Cancer Society's Team ACS. This program allows individuals to sign up to raise money for cancer research while participating in an event such as a triathlon, 10k run or even a bake sale.


Truth be told, a bake sale is really way more my style. I went to school for the pastry arts after all. I revel in brownie batter, ganache and fluffy Italian Meringue Buttercream. But honestly, what fun is that?

Someone, who had the distinct advantage of a completely objective point of view of my life, reminded me of my "circle of influence." The conversation wasn't the sort that would reveal life's secrets, the keys to happiness and whatnot. It was just the gentlest of nudges. Enough to remind me that I have the ability to control my life. Intentional or not, I have taken this to heart. "Step out of your comfort zone," now whispers in my ear.

(I shall now stop with the transcendental talk. While truly heartfelt, it waxes poetic.)

Back to the explanation.

My goal, should I be given the go ahead, is to raise $1000 for cancer research by participating in the triathlon. If, for someone reason, I'm not given permission to join Team ACS then my goal is to simply complete this triathlon in memory my mother-in-law, who lost her battle in August of 2007.

Either way, I do this for her.

T-minus 2 days to training.

Count down to training

"Aren't you the one who said that you don't like to sweat?"my sister-in-law, Angela, said to me today as we discussed my desire to start training for a triathlon.

"Yup. That's me," I replied.

"You know that participating in a triathlon is going to make you sweat, right?" she shot back.

You see, I am not an athlete.

Sure, my parents put me in gymnastics when I was three. It was most likely to keep my from climbing the walls; hoping it would keep me from using the back of the couch a balance beam. It didn't work. In fact, I'm pretty sure it just encouraged me. I stuck with it for seven years until I entered fifth grade. In my infinite ten-year-old wisdom I announced that I wanted to quit gymnastics to become follow my heart: cheerleading. So my parents switched me from gymnastics to tumbling. Sadly, I quickly lost interest and thus ended my Olympic dreams.

There were the couple of years that I played soccer in a rec league. My dad was the coach. Probably the only reason why I actually got to play. Not that he played favorites. He made sure that all the kids got time on the field, no matter how bad they were. My prowess on the field was probably the reason why I never got to take over the coveted goalie position, now matter how much I begged. The parents of the kids that actually had talent were probably frustrated enough.

And I did play baseball in my church's baseball league. I remember the exhilaration of hitting the ball and making it to first base for the very first time. Sadly, it was in the last game of the season. In the last inning.

Which brings me back to the conversation that I was having with my sister-in-law.

I have come to the decision that I am going to participate in the Pigman Triathlon in June.

There's a lot of sweating that's going to happen between now and then.

Training begins November 1st.

T minus 4 days and counting...