house of blair

UPDATE (3/14/04): Tri for the Crown I’m pleased to announce that the entire sum ($750) was raised on behalf of our friend!

UPDATE (3/7/04): Just got my time in… 1:37:20. Not too shabby!

March 6^th 2004 Six months of training - from virtual no fitness to crazy “go-the-distance” triathlon fitness has culminated in today’s event - the annual UBC Triathlon! The particular distance I choose was the *ahem* “sprint” level distance (a sprint, perhaps, to those used to the Ironman…) which meant the following ordeal in the following order: an 800 meter swim, a 22 km bike, and a 6.6 km run.

Plus, sometime a few weeks back, somebody (probably Cindy) suggested that I could “run for something.” In this case, that “something” turned out to be some needed dental work for one of our friends that was not covered by her insurance. So the effort soon became called “Tri For the Crown” and our enterprising Cindy soon tracked down enough sponsors pledging so much money if I could complete the triathlon in less time than my practice run one month ago. As I write this the Tri For the Crown effort has brought in $439!!! (The crown costs $750) Well done everyone!!! Plus, as an added bonus, we made official Tri For the Crown t-shirts using a handsome design by Heidi Blair.

I couldn’t have done it without the following people: First and foremost, my wife Heidi who encouraged and loved me throughout, all ye members of the Group Home pit crew - Dave, Beccy, Cindy, Scott, and Sheila, Heidi again for designing the shirt logo, Cindy again for taking care of the fund-raising, Davy the Dog for being a good running partner, and finally for that whiny kid from MTV’s show “Made” who got me to thinking, “If that whiny, IHOP-addicted 15 year old can do it, so can I.”

Some photos from dancing, some photos from our big January snow storm, some photos of the pregnancy test stick, some photos of Davy the Dog enjoying a cold one in Dave Allen’s favourite recliner.

These pictures are a little late in coming because we’ve had some problems with our phone lines. No phone. No DSL. Nobody able to call us or we them. The problem? Hungry squirrels with an appetite for phone lines. Anyway, we’re back online.

Thanksgiving…. we travelled down south for American Thanksgiving in Green Valley - the agelong tradition of Heidi’s family. Since we would be staying in Vancouver for Christmas we “did Christmas” with both families during our stay.

Real Christmas in Vancouver was mellow — just the two of us… and the dog. A few days later it snowed just in time for New Years.