The Finish Line

At the beginning of the year, JD wrote out a list of things he wanted to accomplish for the year. Now, this is usually a commendable act and feels like the beginning of a Hallmark Christmas special, but things with my husband are slightly complicated. Partially because he loves the idea of starting something, but the whole FINISHING thing gets in the way. As proof of this sentiment, JD has a guitar, soccer cleats, a Do-It-Yourself hair cut kit, a jiu jitsu gee, a trumpet, a boogie board, a one-man camping tent, and six-foot long trimming shears in our garage. These are mementos of a time in history when starting something sounded nice.

And, really, a TRUMPET?!?

Anyway, when JD added Do A Triathlon to his 2013 bucket list, I rolled my eyes and asked if I should make space in the garage. In spite of my doubt, my husband trained for six months and completed his first triathlon!

We made our way to Santa Barbara the day before the triathlon and when JD registered, he leaned over and whispered, Is it just me or does everyone here look like they walked off the set of American Gladiator? It was incredibly intimidating, but the next morning, he was up at 5 a.m. to get his gear ready.

At 7 a.m. I joined him at the beach with my camera to document his big moment and just before he went to the water, I leaned over and kissed him. I couldn't help it…I was just so darn proud of him. JD shook his head and said, No, no! You're not supposed to do that! You're supposed to slap me in the face to get me FIRED UP! You're doing it all wrong!

My husband has apparently watched too many Rocky movies.

Going into the water for the mile swim…and coming out…

The craziest thing about JD is that you'll always find him smiling. Always. Life is one big smile fest for him. As he rode 22 miles on the bike, he smiled like he was in a pageant.

I'm guessing part of why JD smiled was because he had some great people to cheer him on. As he ran five miles, our friends were there to support him…

The Finish Line

A little post-triathlon maintenance…

The good thing about being friends with photographers is that they can grab your camera and snap a photo you'll love for the rest of your life.

I surprised JD by making personalized t-shirts and our friends wore them to support our champ!

Many, many thanks to our dear friends Shane+Mikaela, Regis Chen, and Brandon+Kristin for coming out and making the day so perfect…

After the triathlon, we spent the day in Santa Barbara, relaxing, laughing…and…

….TOASTING! Thank you, Mikaela, for the last two photos!

I'm incredibly proud of JD and when he crossed the finish line, I felt like he proved something to me, but–more importantly–to himself. Sure, his bike is resting in our garage, but this time we don't mind as much.