It’s crazy to think that I’ve been in Subic for 2 months now….I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun. In a few days, Maki Mouse and Samurai will head to Japan, and next week, the rest of us still left at camp will head to China.
In the last couple of months, we’ve all had our tired days, and it’s usually a sign that training’s going well and we’re doing what we came here to do. Erika at times speaks to me in Hungarian, Lucy has spoken to me in Chech, and this week, LC answered me in Tagalog. The little Filipino had the last laugh though when I went to bed a few nights ago and wished her “Good Luck”. Good luck. Good night. Whatever. I’m tired, I’m going to bed. She laughed again the next day when I walked into the sliding glass door, Pringles flying everywhere. Uh, yeah, I did that on purpose. No really, I did.
About a week ago, Tereza moved in from upstairs after Erika left. She’s the most domesticated in our house, and has taken over from Erika as the one who answers LC’s cooking questions, and teaches her new recipes. We in turn are trying to get Tereza hooked on American Idol. So far she can sit through half a show…although I’m not sure if it’s the show itself or mine and LC’s singing that she doesn’t enjoy? Ah well, practice makes perfect so I guess we’ll have to keep at it.
Ok, time for bed before I walk into any more glass doors…Good Night and Good Luck.;-)
March 29th, 2009 by donnaphelan
Last Thursday, the ‘blue house’ (pink house now since it’s been re-painted) became very quiet with Coco heading back to the US, and Lil C heading to Manila for the weekend.
So Saturday rolled around, and it was our recovery day from training. As anyone who knows me well can attest to, I don’t do well sitting around with time on my hands. So when the boredom hit and I started talking to myself, I wandered over to the ‘green house’ to pay the Wongstar a visit. Well, there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement in the ‘green house’ either…very devoid of the Bean’s presense since she left for S.Africa earlier in the week. So feeling a bit of ‘cabin fever’ coming on, Wongstar and I took a spin on our bikes around the neighborhood. Yes, rule #1 of being an athlete : never walk if you don’t have to.
I’ve been in Subic 7 weeks now, but most days all we really see is the road ahead of us. On our joy ride around the neighborhood, Wongstar and I came across some unusual signs that were a little puzzling to us. Perhaps we don’t know our neighborhood as well as we thought we did…
March 20th, 2009 by donnaphelan
So with all the Coke discussions on the forum this week, I decided to write an update on my attempts at winning a Coke shirt in the Coke Philippines Contest (see LC’s blog from a couple of weeks ago).
Despite 6 weeks of looking under ever Coke cap in sight, LC and I have resigned ourselves to the fact that no “Free Shirt” Coke bottles were sent to Subic. What other explanation could there be? Obviously, the winning Coke bottles were all kept in Manila, while the “Smile! Ha!” bottle caps were all sent to Subic. If I see one more of these, I swear I’ll cry.
Anyway, frustrated with the manufacturers of Coke Philippines, LC and I have decided to boycott the Coke Contest. The lobbyists on the forum this week will obviously be very happy with our decision. And as a consolation prize, I found a Pepsi tank top for $2 US in Olongopo which I’ve been proudly wearing during my boycott. Caroline, however, knew that I was doing this out of spite, and being the thoughtful person that she is, she bought me my own Coke shirt while she was out shopping the other day. It’s not the authentic Coke shirt from the Coke Philippines Contest, but I like to think it’s even better.;-)
March 11th, 2009 by donnaphelan
This past week Coco, LC and I had a surprise house guest – an unexpected and uninvited house guest, and I was not at all happy about it. His name was Lester, and he showed up late Friday night. I guess he thought “the blue house” would be a good place to crash for the weekend.
I have to say, I had a bad impression of Lester right from the start. I was just drifting off to sleep Friday night when I heard a loud scream from the kitchen. Apparently, Lester had arrived earlier in the evening and was hanging out in the kitchen when Coco arrived home. She wasn’t expecting to see an unattractive male making himself at home in our kitchen, and neither was I when I came stumbling out of bed half asleep.
Later that night, I woke to go to the bathroom, and this time it was my turn to scream. I saw Lester’s shadow on my bedroom wall, and tried to hit him with my shoe – the nerve of the little guy coming into my room while I was sleeping!
Well, I think Lester had enough of the screaming girls for one night because we haven’t seen him since. He stayed in “the blue house” only one night, but it was one night too long. Sorry Lester, you wore out your welcome.
Before Lester left, Coco took a photo of him to warn the others on our team to be on the look out. Beware of Lester, he’s out there somewhere….
March 2nd, 2009 by donnaphelan
On Saturday, the Team TBB road show stopped in Langkawi for Ironman Malaysia. With six members of the team racing, and the support crew from TBB Singapore along with Alex, we had a full crew arranged to put on a great show.
Heading into the race, I had 2 goals – a hard swim and bike, and a top 10 finish. My run preparation hadn’t been ideal leading up to the race. My calf tear in November resulted in 2 months of no running, and a short build up of run training before the race. As always though, coach got me back on track when I showed up at camp in February, and I was ready to join the show in Malaysia.
I came out of the 1 loop swim in 3rd place behind Maki and Belinda. A pretty uneventful swim other than having my leg pulled on and losing my timing chip. From what I could see, there was a big pack ahead of me, but too far to close the gap, and the rest of the pro’s strung out somewhere behind.
I came out of the water, and headed out on the bike course, not knowing what position I was in. My plan was to ride strong and steady, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear at the 60k mark that I was in third place. Coco warned me before the race not to unclip and have a picnic at the special needs station like I usually do, and I am happy to say I was able to load all my food on my bike for this race. The hottest part of the day was probably during the middle part of the bike so while avoiding cows, chickens, dogs and monkeys, I was drinking about 2 bottles every hour. With about 25km left to go, I passed Maki and came into transition in second place.
I started out on the run with doc’s orders to keep it easy in my head. I ran along with an Aussie guy for the first 20k, chatting and thinking “perfect, this will make sure I keep it easy”. Well, unfortunately what I thought was easy pace was not what my legs had in mind. At 25k, the Mak attack came along, and at about 30k came Nicole Leder. I knew this wouldn’t be the day to go with either of them, so I concentrated on running my own race. Whatever my legs would give me would be where I’d end up. The last 10k my goal was to keep my legs turning over and hold onto 4th place. I have to admit, I started seeing $ signs in my eyes at this point. My legs were screaming, but as a wise doc once told me, “Endure What Can’t Be Cured.” I finished the last km glancing over my shoulder and happy that no one was in site. Very happy also to see Alex, Maki, Hiro, Coco and my old team mate BG waiting at the finish line.
So, yes, a long day at the office, but happy to get a long bike in my legs, and the start of some good run preparation for my next race. A big CONGRATS as well to Maki, Hiro and Matt. And a big THANK YOU to Alex and all the guys from TBB Singapore for their support. They put on a great show in Malaysia.
February 22nd, 2009 by donnaphelan
When I left home for Subic two and a half weeks ago, I felt like I was running off to join the circus. The TBB Circus that is. A new team this year, new faces, new expectations. But what I didn’t expect was how quickly the circus would become one big, happy family.
The TBB Circus is a fun place to be. We all have our own tricks and special talents, and a ringleader who keeps us all in order, making sure that we’re ready to perform when it counts. It might look easy from the outside, but a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes…practicing over and over again our tricks of the trade. It might seem like we work for peanuts, but it’s all worth it when we go on stage to perform.
So next weekend, the circus has its first show on the road. A quick stop in Langkawi where six members of the TBB Circus will put on a show : the Flying Japanese Trapeze Duo, the Brazilian Tiger Rei, Mathieu – the bearded man who walks on water, the Hungarian Coco who flies through air, and myself, the Diesel fighter. The rest of the troupe will remain in Subic, training hard with the ringmaster for upcoming shows in New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and China. Book your tickets now for the best show on the road.
February 1st, 2009 by donnaphelan
So it’s time to hit the road again after 3 months back in San Diego. The last 2 weeks have been really fun…a mini training camp with Coco before we head off on Wednesday for Subic. We’ve gone on all of my favorite training rides – including a trip up Palomar Mountain, but unfortunately no more Landis sightings (although I did have my camera ready this time). In between all the swimming, biking and running, we’ve been keeping the sushi restaurants in business…or perhaps I should say putting them out of business. I expect the next time we show up for sushi, there’ll be a sign in the window saying “No Hungry Triathletes Allowed”. I wonder if perhaps the Japanese aren’t such big sushi eaters??
Anyway, I’m excited to head off to camp in a few days, and meet all the new rookies. Having Erika here the last couple of weeks has made me remember how great it is having team mates to train with. It’s looking like 2009 will be a big year for Team TBB, and I’m excited to be a part of it.
January 15th, 2009 by donnaphelan
Yesterday, I was on a long ride with two of my training partners, whom I call Tyler and Lance. In the middle of nowhere, at the base of a long climb, we stopped at a store for our usual “coke break”. Then in walks Floyd (no, really, it was Floyd Landis). He buys a 2L of milk, takes it outside, off with his shoes, feet up, and starts drinking the milk. I didn’t wait around to see if he drank the whole 2 liters. Tyler, Lance and I took off up the climb. About 40min later, we started to descend back down, and passed Floyd on his way up. I swear, it looked like he was flying. Milk, anyone?
January 9th, 2009 by donnaphelan
Hi Everyone,
It’s 2009, and I can’t believe a year has gone by since I joined the team. After my last race of 2008, IM Arizona in November, I went back home to Canada to visit my family. I grew up in Newfoundland, but my brother lives in Nova Scotia so we met there for a family get together. It’s been about 5 years since I’ve been in “winter weather”….nice in small doses, but I was very happy to return to warmer weather in San Diego.:))
So, now I’m getting ready for the 2009 season – working on my bike and getting used to my new bike set-up. After much harassing from doc and everyone else in the tri world
, my bike set-up is finally starting to look “normal”. In with the New Year, out with the beach cruiser. My good friend, Miss Coco, comes in a week, and I can’t wait to take her on some of my favorite rides around here…a ‘mini camp’ before the real camp starts. Of course, I’ve also promised her great sushi so we’ll have to find time to fit that in as well.;-)
Best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy, successful 2009!
November 25th, 2008 by donnaphelan
Last Thursday, I drove to Arizona for the last North American IM race of the season. After Hawaii, I had been contemplating doing another IM to end the season, and with Arizona only 5 hours drive from San Diego, it was too hard to turn down.
The pro field for Arizona was one of the biggest of the year, outside of Hawaii. Almost 90 pros were on the start line for the 1 loop swim in Tempe Town Lake. Well, I’ve been saying it all year, and I really mean it now – it’s time for me to take some boxing lessons! Two seconds after the gun went off, I got nailed in the head (resulting in a black eye), and 2 seconds later, I got nailed again and my goggles disappeared. It was a good thing I had lasix surgery a year ago or I’d probably still be in there yelling ‘marco-polo’, trying to find my way out.;-) Anyway, after round 1 of the boxing match, I settled into a rhythm, had a couple of good swimmers on my breathing side to sight off of, and came out of the water in 3rd place for the pro women.
The bike course was 3 x 60km loops – a gradual uphill into a headwind for the first 30km, then a faster 30km back into town. It was actually pretty cold race morning and didn’t warm up until about 10am. I had planned to eat/drink my usual amount of calories per hour, but because it was colder than I expected, I wasn’t drinking as much, and switched to eating every 15min instead of 20. But typical of the desert, by 10am, it was warming up pretty quickly, and I was very happy not to be melting under an aero helmet. About 30km from the finish, my front wheel started to feel a bit soft, but luckily not bad enough to stop (later when I got my bike out of transition, it was definitely flat – very happy it didn’t go all the way down while I was riding!). I came off the bike in 5th place, feeling like I had one of my better IM bike rides, but knowing I still have some work to do for next year.
So, coming off the bike, I had some decisions to make. Prior to Hawaii, I had been having some pain on the inside of my calf, and about 2 weeks before Arizona, it got worse and I wasn’t able to run. I kept thinking that with the rest, it would get better and a 2 week run taper wasn’t so bad. During the swim-bike run transition, my calf wasn’t feeling the best (I had some shoes at the swim exit, but they ended up in lost and found?!). However, I still felt that if I didn’t at least attempt to start the marathon, I wouldn’t know for sure if my calf could handle it. Well, a few minutes of running and I had my answer. I went to the med tent to get some ice, and the doctor confirmed that I have a tear in my calf muscle. Not great news, but if there’s ever a ‘good’ time to have an injury, it’s the off-season.
So, although not happy to DNF, I had a good hard swim/bike workout, and like after all races, I’m excited to start planning for my next one.:) Next up, a trip back to Canada on Thursday…time to dig out the winter clothes.;-)
Well, I’m still in daze, after traveling last Tuesday from S.Korea to Kona, racing Ironman on Saturday, and here it is Tuesday again and I’m back “home” in San Diego. In the span of a week, I feel like I entered a magical world on the Big Island – so much energy, so many people from around the world, and the experience of racing the Hawaii Ironman, which I’ve watched on tv for so many years and only dreamed of one day doing, was completely unbelievable.
I can’t even begin to describe the energy at the start of the swim. This was my fifth ironman, my third this year, and nothing I’ve ever experienced comes close to the energy that was in the air with helicopters flying overhead, over 200 pro men and women inching forward at the start line while kayakers did what they could to hold us back, thousands of spectators lining the shore, and then finally, the cannon going off to start the race. My plan was to start next to some pro men in hopes of stealing their draft, but 30 seconds into the swim, I felt like I was taking part in a boxing match. Eventually, things settled down, and although not in the pack I wanted to be in, I came out of the water in 13th place for the pro women.
About 20km into the bike, I felt like something wasn’t right as I felt a searing pain on the inside of my left quad. I kept pushing on the best I could until about 90k when I knew something just wasn’t right with my bike. I looked down and saw that my seat post had slipped down, and the tape used to mark my seat height was now only party visible. I stopped on the side of the road to fix my seat, and this time really tightened it down. Although my quad still wasn’t the happiest of campers, the second half of the bike was much better for me, as I re-passed some of the speedy age group men and a couple of pro women that had passed me on the way to Hawi. It was another 12 bottle bike ride, but I remembered the heat in China earlier in the year, and I knew that being a camel now would pay off later in the marathon.
I started the run feeling pretty good, but knew I had to pace myself because of the heat and the limited run training I had done the couple of months prior due to a groin injury. The crowd support in town and heading up to the Queen K highway was unbelievable – thousands of people from around the world yelling and screaming. It was especially motivating to see my fellow TeamTBB ironchicks (and Stephen, the ironchicken:) at the turn-around on Ali’i Drive and heading out of the energy lab. I knew how hard they had worked all year and how much they deserved to have the great races they were having. Coming back into town was like a huge party – I was spent but somehow felt like I was being carried along to the finish line with the energy from the crowd. So many people screaming and yelling, and I was so happy to cross the finish line, knowing I had done my best, but having learned from the race and knowing that I could do better.
I have to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Chrissie, Erika, Bella, Belinda, Hillary, Stephen and Steve for great races, and for giving their best out there. They have all been a huge inspiration to me this year, and have become more than just team mates, but also close friends. I also have to thank doc for being the best coach in the world, and for giving me this opportunity that I could only have dreamed of. I often questioned whether I could come back to ironman after 5 years off with injuries, and last year, frustrated with the sport, watched the Hawaii Ironman on tv, and wished that perhaps one day I could be there. 12 months and 3 ironmans later, a thank you does not seem nearly enough. And of course to Alex, a huge thanks because without you, none of this would be possible.
See you all next year! Mahalo!
September 5th, 2008 by donnaphelan
Tonight, I leave for camp in Korea after almost 3 weeks back “home” in San Diego. It’s been an amazing year so far, having spent all but 5 weeks of it in training camps in the Phillipines and Switzerland.
The last 3 wks have given me a chance to take care of a few things before I take off again. My bike underwent a much needed visit to the bike shop for new cables, chain and cassette (the guys at the shop were NOT impressed with my neglect nor my riding in the rain!). I also had a chance to unpack my cold weather Swiss clothes in exchange for warm weather attire (good bye arm warmers, hello tank tops!:)). And of course, I had a chance to catch up with some old training partners and explore some of my favorite training rides. I really was amazed the first few days back to see that the hills here had gotten smaller and the descents less technical since I was here last…it’s funny how training in Switzerland can have that effect.:)
So, it’s time to head off again and accumulate some more air miles. I’m excited to catch up with the rest of the iron chicks, and have another great month of training ahead. Pickled cabbage, here I come.;)
July 15th, 2008 by donnaphelan
On Sunday, I raced IM Switzerland in Zurich. I woke up race morning to pouring rain and 10 degree Celsius temperatures. I had wished for cooler temperatures at IM China a few months ago – I guess my wish was just a bit delayed and not very welcome at this race!
The swim went as about expected. I had a little battle on my hands in the first hundred meters with a couple of the pro guys, but eventually things settled down and I came out of the water in 3rd place for the pro women.
I headed out of transition area wearing an extra bike jersey and vest as the rain continued to pour down. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so cold on a bike. My feet went numb after a few kms, and I continued to shiver for most of the ride. The descents on the course were tricky in the best of conditions – with a couple of sections where penalties were given out for using aerobars – so I decided not to take any chances in the rain. Braking became even more of a challenge with fingers that were not cooperating in the cold! Despite the weather, it was nice to see so many spectators on the course ringing cowbells, and yelling, “Hup, hup, hup, go Doh-na, go!” as I went by.
The first half of the marathon went well as I started to warm up, and I made up some of the time that I had lost on the bike. I was on target for a good run split, feeling like I could continue the pace and finish in the top 5. Unfortunately, somewhere around 25km, my legs decided to start complaining. I knew the other girls were suffering too, so I continued to push on while my legs were having an outright battle with my head. At 40km, I moved into 9th place, past the girl who had the fastest bike split of the day. I held onto this position for the last 2km, very happy to cross the finish line! It wasn’t the placing that I had hoped for, but like China, another battle against the elements that I was happy to overcome. What’s that saying about “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”…
So, now that this race is over, I’m really excited to do my next Ironman…..in normal conditions.:)
May 23rd, 2008 by donnaphelan
So, let’s see, where did I leave off? Oh yeah, I was in China for IM, then back to the Phillipines for a few days. I then spent an unexpected few days in Manilla with green card difficulties (who knew it was so hard to get back in the US with a Canadian passport…lesson learned!), finally arrived back “home” in San Diego for 2 weeks, then flew to Zurich on Sunday, followed by a 3hr train ride, and a mountain tram to my new home in the Alps.
Despite having some jetlag the first few days (asleep at 8pm, then wide awake from 1am-4am surfing the net, and having my second dinner:), I’m happy to call this beautiful little mountain village my home for the next two months. The weather has been a little cooler than I expected (yes, I know I was warned;), but coming from the Philippines, a sauna might feel a little on the cool side.
The training here, especially on the bike, is incredible and breath taking. As it’s my first camp in this part of Switzerland, I was a little naive when coach told me to have an easy flat ride at the bottom of the mountain my first day here. I cruised down the hillside, wind in my hair, enjoying my scenic little ride to Montreaux. Unfortunately, the “down” side, or should I say “up” side, to any flat riding around here is the climb back up the mountain. “What goes down must come up”, and I had conveniently blocked this from my mind on my scenic little excursion…there will now be a damper on any of my future flat riding adventures in Switzerland.:-[
Due to the jetlag or perhaps the altitude, I thought I was going crazy when I first arrived, hearing bells ringing on/off throughout the day. I was at Rebecca’s place the other day when she solved the mystery for me. “Rebecca”, I asked, “is that the fire alarm? Do we need to evacuate?” “No mate, just the cow bells, they’re moving pasteurs at the end of the day”. Oh, ok. I headed out the door on my bike, only to see a parade of cows blocking the narrow road in front of me. I tried to go around them, then realized I was in jeopardy of getting splashed by the remnants of whatever the cows had for dinner the evening before. I tucked in at the back, only to realize they were turning off in the same direction I was headed, straight past my place. It was a nice average pace of 5km/hr for my ride home.:)
Despite my initial jetlag and cow confusion, I’m very happy to be back at camp, in this very beautiful little part of the world. Until next time…
Donna
April 21st, 2008 by donnaphelan
It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 yrs since my last ironman (although my legs today are reminding me). There were many bumps (and potholes) along the way, but as they say, everything happens for a reason. I now have a new love for triathlon, and I couldn’t have been happier to be on the start line at Ironman China on Sunday.
The swim for me went as about expected. I did do some extra swimming around the course as the turning buoys were one of many fishing boats about 1000m out from shore…luckily I wasn’t too far off with my first pick.:) I came out of the water in 3rd place, fumbled a bit in the change tent as the Chinese volunteers stuffed my wetsuit in my transition bag on top of my bike helmet and bike gear. Uhhh…I might be needing those?
After a few km’s into the bike, I was passed by Belinda who was riding really strong and looking like a demon. I reminded myself I wasn’t doing sprint tri’s anymore, and put my blinders back on. Just about the halfway point of the bike, I could feel the temperature starting to soar and continued to drink as often as I could…13 bottles in total! I was beginning to think I was maybe a camel in a former lifetime.
I came into run transiton in 3rd place, 8min down on Ute Meukle, 16min down on Belinda with Abigail Bailey 2min back, and Jo King and Belinda Harrison chasing from behind. After about 12km, I passed Ute, but shortly after the effects of running a marathon on concrete started to become evident. Both of my quads were screaming at the top of their lungs for me to stop. I knew I still had 30km to go, but I also knew there were some strong runners behind me and I couldn’t let up. At this point, it really was a mind game. I thought to myself that everyone else was suffering as much as I was, and if I could keep shuffling along and not walk then I had a chance of making it to the podium. I also came armed to the race with some motivating words from my team mates and coach….my secret weapon when the going got tough. I had Bella in my head “wretching with effort” in South Africa, Chrissie in Australia saying, “Oh and my hammy did hurt. I ignored it”, Erika telling me “The race is in your legs already”, and the words from doc, “Endure what can’t be cured”.
The last 2 hrs of the race were the most painful of my life. But, as I said, everything happens for a reason. Not being able to race ironman for the last 5 years due to injury and many starts/stops has given me a whole new appreciation for triathlon. I never take for granted being able to train and race, and when the going gets tough, I know it’s never as tough as where I’ve been.
In the end, I did hang on to second place, and crossed the finish line in 10:37, Abigail 7min back, and Belinda probably already having coffee and her nails done. I was beyond happy coming across the finish line, but the one thought I had in my head was how lucky I am to be a part of this team, training with the best athletes and the best coach in the world.:) The wait was well worth it.:)))
March 12th, 2008 by donnaphelan
Well, it’s my day off (yeah!:), and I’m getting ready for my daily trip to the grocery store (when the training increases, the eating increases.:) Unfortunately, that means the spending increases too, but fortunately for us, the US $/Peso conversion works in our favor : 40 pesos is equivalent to 1 US dollar. When I first arrived, I was shocked to spend 2000 pesos at the grocery store, but by doing the math, I realized it’s actually pretty cheap. These are some other examples of the wonderful peso conversion :
- coke light 20 pesos = 50 cents
- papaya 30 pesos = 75 cents
- 1 hr massage 400-500 pesos = $10-$12
- pool fee 50 pesos = $1.25
- track fee 10 pesos = 25 cents
- oatmeal, milk, toast 60 pesos = $1.50
- abercrombie and fitch tank top (I think it’s a fake:) = $2.50
So…I’ve convinced myself that I’m actually saving money by being in the Philippines. Some imported items are of course more expensive. I’m still griping about the $5 cost of my beloved box of Kelloggs, but hey, I’m saving money so it all works out.:))
February 20th, 2008 by donnaphelan
Well, after a 2 hr drive to LA, a 5 hr flight to Hawaii, a 3 hr stop-over, a 7 hr flight to Guam, a 2hr stop-over, a 3 hr flight to Manila, and a 3 hr drive from the airport, I finally arrived in Subic Bay 10 days ago. They say, “It’s the journey, not the destination”, but I couldn’t have been happier to get off the plane and arrive at training camp.
The set up here has been great. I’m sharing a house with Hillary and Chrissie, and we think we may have a fourth house guest that scurries around the kitchen at night. We’re not sure what it is, and in this case, ignorance is bliss! We’ve also seen a ton of monkeys on the side of the road and sitting on telephone wires. I keep expecting to wake up in the middle of the night with one in bed with me!
The weather has also been great for training. Warm, humid and breezy. The locals seem very happy to have us here as well. They honk their horns and wave as we ride by, and a little boy about 2 ft tall tried to race me as I ran past yesterday. Pretty quick for his height….a possible team tbb’er perhaps?:)
I am very happy and feeling at home here (minus Jay and my 2 cats of course:(. It’s been a long journey to get here, and I couldn’t be happier.
