Well I have to say sorry it has been so long since my last blog. The days seem to all roll into one and with Chris away, school and kids birthdays, before you know it I have lost 6 weeks. We have all just flown back to Australia, from a trip to Los Angeles, to spend 2 weeks with Chris before he heads into Hawaii. With School on this year, the girls will not be coming up to Hawaii, so we thought a nice trip to LA would be perfect during the school holidays. It was planned all year and the girls were so excited to see Chris and all our friends in the USA.
I have been kept very busy with the girls, and Chris has changed a few things this year leading into Kona which seem to be working great. So that is really exciting, and we just cant wait to get there. Kona usually means the end of the season, but in the last few years it has become very hectic as Chris has huge comittments with his sponsors and lots of the photo shoots and product R and D are done between October and January. On the racing front things slow down a bit, which is lovely as the discipline and focus takes a back seat, and it is really all about spending time together. This year we are planing a holiday around the girls. We will take them to Disneyland for Christmas as a surprise. I think chris and I are more excited than they are about this. The girls have been a few times to Disneyland, but they are really getting to the age now where they really will enjoy it. Sienna in particular will just love it. Lat time she was a little young but still talks about it. It really is the happiest place on the earth. Both Chris and I cant wait to see there faces. We are hoping our close friends the Murphy's from Las Vegas will join us on this holiday. They are planning a trip to Disneyland aswell. Fingers crossed as it will be so good to see them.
The girls and I just got back to Australia, from Los Angeles. I have to admit I just love it there. We spent our final few days in LA looking at houses as we are going to buy ourselves a home in the area for sure. We are looking in Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades or Westlake, but think the beaches will be where we ultimately end up. We have such great friends in LA, and it really has become our home away from home, that we decided it was time to purchase a home here. The training is exceptional for Chris, the major international airport makes it perfect for travel and most importantly the friends we have make this place special to us. We hope to have settled and become California residents by the new year. We love staying with Julie and Lloyd in Hidden Hills, and it is because of them and our friends in Santa Monica that made our decision to buy here over anywhere else in the USA. Tahlia and Ryan are great together and having a home to come to from Australia will make trips easier. We will spend much more time stateside which is where we need to be and the stability for the girls will be sound with our own home. It is exciting and the help we have from so many people has been incredible. The network of people in the LA Tri club is amazing. They are such a great, fun group and have been a big help with us in finding a home.
We took the girls down to the Malibu Triathlon last week and had such a great day. We meet so many people that I am sure we will keep in touch with. Races are always a great place to meet people. The girls had a ball and we caught up with our friends Rob and Irene from Las Vegas. We all stayed at the Malibu Inn and had the best time. It is really times like this with friends you cherish, and it is often races that brings many of us together. Chris, Rob and Irene all raced and had a great day with all the celebrities. Irene looks very much like Terry Hatcher, and was cheered by many who thought she was the Desperate Housewife star. We spent most of the time eating and laughing. It was soo much fun. Tahlia had broken her ankle on the tuesday before the race, so the poor thing will be in a boot for the next 4 to 5 weeks. She has been so brave and not made a big deal about it. She has just got on with it and was so excited to watch Chris, Rob and Irene race in the triathlon. She takes after her dad thats for sure. I would have been complaing the whole time.
We are all really looking forward to Kona this year. It will be the first time we have raced in Kona without the kids and it will be nice for chris and I to have some time together before this huge event. We love Hawaii. Chris absolutely adores this race and enjoys everything about the event. He has spent so much time out thier these past few years and this year has been working with Terenzo Bozzone who will be making his first race in Hawaii. Terenzo is a great guy and one of the nicest athletes I have ever met. I hope he has a great day and look forward to the huge event again. Chris will leave for Kona today and then I will head over next week. I am so excited for the race. It is just an amazing event to watch and over the years we have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and hear their Ironman stories. This year will be no different.
I really hope everyone is loving what they do and training and living well. I look forward to meeting many of you soon. It was great speaking to so many of you in Malibu. I promise to write sooner next time. I just need to do it.
Take care
Emma
