Patience, Persistence, and dedication is key...

I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat asking yourself "Natasha, what is patience, persistence, and dedication key to?"  Not so much?  Ok well I'm gonna tell you anyway!  It's key to my life and everything in it.  Yes, this is a DUH statement and kind of like the V8 commercials where the personal trainer hits the guy on the forehead for not eating his veggies it is kind of common sense.  But what I've come to realize is that even though this statement may be obvious it is during times of panic or stress that I forget it and it's when it would be the most useful.

With a baby I am reminded of this constantly.  For example, when I was so sleep deprived and delirious that I thought there is no way I could take one more day of this yet I dig in and I do just that take one more day of it and then one more and then one more and then viola he's sleeping through the night in his own crib!  I was ridiculed at times because even though I knew good and well that he wasn't going to fall asleep on his own and definitely not in his crib I'd still try every night!!  And when it didn't work I would move to something that we knew worked.  But if I hadn't patiently tried the crib every night before the scream fest ensued there never would have been that one night where I put him down in the crib and I held my breathe as I sat by the radio waiting for the whaling to start.. wait for it.. wait for it... then wait no crying, wake up a couple of hours later and realize he's still asleep, PRICELESS!!

Patience - Is what you need in order to teach or learn something knew and buys you the time it takes for something to click -

Persistence - Is what gives you the tenacity to keep trying something over and over and actually expect a different result (no that is not insanity - always)

Dedication - Is what makes you stick to a plan once you've set the path for yourself and not allow yourself to stray from that path no matter what obstacles get thrown in your way

If it wasn't for PPD I would have never been able to teach a 4 year old to ski when all he wanted to do was throw snowballs therefor earning me the biggest tip ever, is why I learned Spanish as a kid even though we fought my mom on it every step of the way, is why when I want a job I go out and get it, it's why I have accomplished athletic feats that I once thought were impossible, it's why instead of falling prey to the incessant stream of information on what is right for your baby I just go with my gut after doing all my research and patiently wait for him to be ready for the next step!

When I'm training for an endurance event and I'm called crazy and people say I don't know how you do it!  Well once I've set my mind that I'm going to do it (this usually happens once I've plopped down a way too hefty entrance fee) then I use PPD to get me to the finish line!  So where ever life takes you make sure you pack some PPD!

Happy Training!

Ohhh triathlon how I miss you!

I am so grateful to still be able to swim, spin, lift weights and walk!  So don't get me wrong I am so very thankful that I still have a capable body that is just temporarily having to slow down to take care of this little business called creating a life! :-)  But it is ok to miss my triathlon life and it makes me appreciate it more and more each day.  With triathlon season kicking off I'm getting daily reminders of what I would normally be doing at this time of year and what I took for granted for so many years.  As I drive home and see cyclist heading up a hill that I use to train on regularly, as I get emails reminding me of fast approaching registration deadlines, as I see friends posting race pics and reports, I smile and relive some of my favorite triathlon moments.

I'm finally reaching that awkward stage where the belly is just starting to get in the way of things.  It's starting to get harder to bend over to pick something up or to stretch.  As I try to get up from the recliner I bob back and forth a few times before I can get the momentum to push the legs down.  When I run my shins feel the strain of my extra weight and I'm only running about 1 mile comfortably after that it's a constant battle balance of when I should give in and walk the rest.  I bemoaned to hubs the other day that he's gonna just have to start rolling me everywhere.  But then I think of the women who have had to be bed ridden due to complications, or those who could never do a triathlon.  It takes me back to what initially made me not only decide that I could accomplish an Ironman finish but made me feel like I had an obligation to do an Ironman.  Because I can!!!  Watching story after story of people who had obstacles in their way or were told they couldn't do an Ironman and still found a way to get there.  Some of those stories ended in heartbreak and were cut short at the swim or bike cutoff.  So I thought what is there to question, I can therefore I will!

While I sit here and yearn for my triathlon days to come back I also know there were days I didn't want to drag myself out of bed for that early morning run or there were races as I drug my equipment to transition with a ball of nerves in my stomach I thought why do I do this to myself.  But I want to capture these moments of want of desire to remind me when I am able again that not only will I go back and do a triathlon but I will choose to make the most of each workout, each rest day, and each race.  Now I will have someone new to pass along all the lessons that triathlon has taught me and even if the little guy doesn't choose to follow in the triathlon footsteps of his mom he will know what it is like to be part of a great community of strong people with a will and desire to overcome anything!

Swim because you can,

Ride because you can,

Run because you can,

TRI even when you think you can't!

 

Sometimes we just need a reminder of why we do this! I had to share...

Hello Blog World!  I know I have been MIA lately but I promise I haven't disappeared.  I'm still reading your blogs and it has helped keep me motivated during this time.  I know that even though I am not able to do as much it will still keep me ready to bounce back once this journey is over.  Sometimes as someone who has been use to pushing their body and never having to say "NO" to a physical challenge I get a little down during times I do have to say no and that I am forced to take it easy.  I know it is all worth it in the end but it sure is nice that just when you are at a low point somehow the universe knows just what to send you.

I have kept teaching my 5k and Boot camp classes even though I can't always do the workouts with them and the progress I have seen with everyone has been amazing!  I also love seeing new faces and the motivation I have been seeing from these individuals.  It just gives me life and keeps me going.  Because I know that it is this that keeps me going and will always keep me active.  I will never stop moving my movements may just take different shapes from time to time.

So why this sudden revitalization?  We just got this email today:

Good Afternoon Fitness Gurus,

I am really hoping that we do not lose these wonderful classes here.  I have to stress to you all, how these classes have really changed my life for the better.  I have had medical issues that were deteriorating my mind, body and soul for many years.  If it wasn’t for these classes that are held here, I know would not have the time or the money to get myself to join any fitness club. 

Since I have started, you all have given me the strength to push forward.  I am glad to say I have added the Boot Camp class to my workout.  These classes are not just a convenience, but they have enhanced my mind, body and spirit beyond what I could have ever expected.  I attribute that to all the instructor’s attitudes and passion for the motivation and making it fun.

I wish that the program that would allow us to invite our families to these sessions, this way I could pay for them and make it a family affair.

By the way, I am actively recruiting folks to attend these classes.  I haven’t missed a class and I pray that we do not lose this privilege.

Thanks for all you do!

Ready or Not, Here I come! Ironman Arizona 2012

It’s race week! Come Sunday it’s do or die time, 140.6 miles of guts, determination, inspiration, sweat, hopefully little to no blood, and finally excitement and accomplishment.  I’ve been prepping and asking myself all the important questions:

“What am I going to wear?”

“How should I do my hair?”

“Which pro athletes are going to be there?”

“Should I practice a dance for the finisher’s line?”

Ok, Ok I am taking it more seriously than that!  Last week hubs asked me how I felt and if I was prepared and compared to last time.  I couldn’t give him an answer!  Then I managed to figure it out, physically I think I’m more prepared than last time mainly cause I have experience now and my body is used to being punished.  But I felt that mentally I wasn’t quite as prepared as I was last time.  Don’t ask me why but I seem to have a lot more doubts, fears, worries and anxiousness this time around.  So I watched the 2012 Ironman World Championship special this weekend and got PUMPED UP!  I am dedicating this entire week not only to tapering but working on my mental toughness.  I’m going to focus on being strong and a lot of positive self talk!  I will listen to some of my favorite music and do some dancing, to the dismay of my dog who growls every time I do, and I will get myself mentally prepared for this weekend.

So I have started printing directions, athlete guides, and prepping lists of what to pack.  My list includes the following right now:

Advil, muscle relaxers (for the car ride home), motion sickness pills, sunscreen, wetsuit, trisuit, goggles, fuel, running shoes, socks, warm up clothes, extra shirt, hat, visor, bodyglide, Vaseline, sunglasses, windbreaker, towel, camera, helmet, bike, bike shoes, 2 spare tubes, CO2 cartridges, water bottles, thingys to get the tire off (I’m so distracted I can’t come up with appropriate words), bib belt, index cards with affirmations, MP3 player, USAT Card, flip flops, long pants jic, First Aid kit, family, bagels and PB & Honey, Attitude!

Here’s a pick of what my dad has started packing:

Here’s a fun thing I did to distract myself, wrote down all the feelings I was feeling and put it into Wordle:

What’s your favorite way to prep for a big race?  Happy Training!

Lovin' the weekend!

I'm behind on here and there are so many things I wanted to blog about lately but work has been INSANE so I haven't had the time as well as been really tired when I do.  The stress at work has been adding up over the last 3-4 weeks but this week was the worst and of course it was also taper week which meant I didn't have my normal coping mechanism available, which usually involves running like hell until all the stress (poison) is out of my system.  This is the 1st time I've truly experienced taper madness, usually I'm so tired from my training that I have to admit taper week doesn't make me go all that crazy.

So last weekend I did my first trail run/shuffle it was so fun and beautiful.  It didn't hurt after the first mile once my heart realized it wasn't really going to explode :-) having all the scenery was awesome and distracted me a lot!   We did 4.5 up then back down it was almost 1800 feet in elevation gain and a little chilly at the top.  Took me 2:10 to do it. I plan on adding some trail running to my training plan just because it was so much fun!  My legs were really hurting the next day but that was expected.

Warning if you are a guy you can skip this paragraph! :-)  This weekend is a sprint tri with my dad on Sunday and don't worry we haven't forgotten about mother's day we have something special planned, or do we?  (She likes to keep up with my blog so I'll have to be vague)  Anyway I had this whole race strategy written on my mirror with dry erase marker and then got thrown for a loop.  It's supposed be raining and I've never ridden my tri bike in the rain so it makes me a little nervous.  Also my body has been all outa whack and it decided it should be that time of month right now!!!  Let's just hope I don't have a repeat of Ironkids when I was just 12 years old.  If you happened to listen to my dad's pre race interview that I posted here you would have heard him elude to this incident.  It was traumatizing for a 12 year old girl to go through.  I was racing Ironkids nationals and when I crossed the finish line a kind woman came up and asked me where my parents were.  I said I didn't know.  She then asked me if I had a change of clothes I had to say no my parents would have it.  Then she had to point out why she was asking and I looked down to see a soaked t-shirt and bathing suite (and let's just say it wasn't from the pool water) I can't remember if I was in instant tears or not but I do remember thinking I was justified in feeling so horrible during the race!!!  But I've grown up and I've learned how to use a tampon :-) but I'm more concerned with being fatigued during the race!!!

Ok enough girly stories and more pretty pictures.  Good luck to everyone racing this weekend my race plan is simply going to be to GIVE IT H - E - double hockey sticks and not worry about what the race gods throw at me!


Don't forget about my giveaway here!

Workout Playlist

So this has been the hardest post to type because when I copied this stinkin playlist from my iTunes to here it thinks it now has full control of my computer  I am losing my mind!


Ok 2 hours later I figuredout the issues my wireless keyboard crapped out and I figured that out no thanks to Microsoft help, they wouldn't provide technical support because I couldn't read the product number off the back of the keyboard, thankfully I remembered I had another keyboard in the closet! 

It's kind of funny cause I took today off as a "mental health" day and it's turning into a true Friday the 13th kind of day with a slight mental break down and all.  Anyway I'm going to upload my new playlist and hit the pavement workout all this anx with some running shoes and proceed to recover!  I noticed this new play list has a lot more hard rock/punk than others but I guess it's the mood I'm in.

• 'Till I Collapse/  Eminem & Nate Dogg
• All My Life/ Foo Fighters Foo Fighters  
• This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I'm On This Song/ System of a Down
• F The System/ System Of A Down
• Snake Charmer/  Rage Against the Machine
• People Of The Sun/  Rage Against the Machine
• Faith / Limp Bizkit
• N 2 Gether Now/ Limp Bizkit
• Rock the Beat/LMFAO
• Sexy and I Know It/LMFAO
• Shots/LMFAO & Lil Jon 
• Name Of The Game/The Crystal Method 
• The Distance/ Cake
• Set It Off/Shuvel 
• Just a Friend/Biz Markie 
• Pee In The Shower/Guttermouth 
• She's Got The Look/Guttermouth 
• Krazy (feat. Lil Jon)/Pitbull Krazy (feat. Lil Jon)
• Where Is Everybody/ Nine Inch Nails 
• On Edge/Authority Zero 
• Drunken Sailor/Authority Zero
• Loser/Beck 
• Are You Gonna Be My Girl/ Jet 
• Cold Hard B/Jet 
• Lit Up/Buckcherry 
• Say Anything/Bouncing Souls   
• Girl All The Bad Guys Want/ Bowling For Soup 
• Cat Like Thief /Boxcar Racer 
• Bleed American /Jmmy Eat World 
• Automatic/Lagwagon 
• Famous For Nothing/ Dropkick Murphys 
• Inside Out/Eve 6 Eve 6 
• Welcome To The Fold/Filter 
• She Don't Use Jelly/ The Flaming Lips 
• The Seven Deadly Sins/ Flogging Molly 
• Bouncing Off The Walls/ Sugarcult 
• Fall Back Down/Rancid 
• Ruby Soho/ Rancid 

This is all I've been watching this week to stay motivated!  Ok I know a lot of us have pushed the puke threshold while running but how many have puked while riding your bike?!??
What is your favorite workout song?

p.s. One more week til the giveaway is over!

I fell off the blogger wagon for about a week and I'm not really quite sure why.  I mean we did have another wedding in the family this weekend but I usually have time to recap after a weekend.  I guess I have no excuses.  How about last night I was stuck on the couch all night because of an unexplainable upset stomach.  I did get off the couch once to dry heave (tmi?).  But the worst part about it was that I missed hanging out with 2 of my favorite girlfriends and OHHHHh the gossip that I'm sure was told!  This stomach thing has been happening to me for years and no doctor really cares or they just call it ibs.  Every month or so I get a really upset stomach, extremely nauseous, and I'm on the couch all day or night then by the next morning I'm better. Things that make you go hmmm...

So a quick breakdown:

1.  My mother kicked a soccer ball full force into my face as I was leaning over cleaning up dog poo, talk about insult to injury!  She claims she was playing with the dog and it went the wrong way..Luckily the welt went away by the wedding.

2.  My brother got married in a park in January and it was warm, wow!

3. Got to see some old college friends and that was awesome!

4.  Managed to get two 5 mile runs in over the weekend but was less than was on my schedule so I've just switched last weeks workouts to this weeks since this was supposed to be a recovery week and it looks like I took that last week.

5. It was kind of hard to see my dad tired and a little down with all the complications from his surgery and the malnutrition but he is quickly recovering and I have not doubt he will be back to normal in no time.  He is a fighter!  Dad, just remember you are fighting to get better not with your family when you're told to take your vitamins :-)  Love you!  Get well soon!  We have some training to do!

6. I might have some exciting news next week involving my running club.

7. I have been having some weird mood swings and I'm not sure where it's coming from, yesterday I had that feeling like I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and couldn't shake it.  But as long as I keep getting my workouts in I'm confident I will over come this.

8. It's Wed. which means we are half way through the week Yay!!!

9.  I increased my upper body weights for the 1st time in years so hopefully my arms don't bulk up too much, I already have a hard time fitting into sleeves on women's shirts :-)

So what do you do if your training schedule is thrown off?  Do you try to make up the miles?  Do you switch your schedule around?  Do you say forget it and just keep going where you left off?

Happy Friday!

I know this video has made it's rounds several times but the way I am feeling this week it seems appropriate!





This week was the 1st week of my 1/2 marathon training which also means the kickoff to my entire 2012 training season.  Now this may not mean much to most but to me it has been amazing!!  For the past year or two I have been just going through the motions, putting miles in entering a few races just to say I raced that year and kind of dreading most of my longer workouts.  So when my dad had asked me to enter IM AZ with him I was extremely hesitant.  When my friends asked me to do this 1/2 marathon in March I was even more hesitant.  After the last 1/2 marathon in Disney I was depressed for a while after I knew I had gone to hang out with my friends mainly and hadn't trained enough but I really felt the extra weight on me during that race and I felt that I wasn't enjoying the sport anymore.  I was devastated thinking I had lost the "joy" in it all.

So I started this week timidly but made myself stick to my workouts because the last two years that has been my biggest problem not sticking to my plan, I would get burned out too quickly and just barely show up both mentally and physically.  So the most exciting part about this week is that I feel like I'm BACK!!!  Mentally I'm all in.  Obviously I'm not back physically yet it's only been 1 week but I can tell I'm ready to get there, I want it back!  I called my dad after my workout yesterday and proudly announced "IronTash is back!!!"  Thanks Dad for getting me back into it and hope you have a speedy recovery so you can join me again soon!!

Week 1 training:

Mon. - Rest Day
Tues. - Treadmill speeadwork 1 mi. warm up, 1x 1200 @ 1/2 marathon pace, 2x800 @ 10k pace, 4x200 @ 5k pace, cooldown
Wed. - 1 mi warm up, strength training
Thurs. - Track speedwork, 1/2 mi warm up 6x400fast w/400 job, 1/2 mi cooldown
Fri. - 2 mi warmup, strength training
Sat. - 3.6 mi. hill work outdoors
Sun. - 9 mi flat course outdoors

It feels so good to be excited about my training again, now I just keep it up and hopefully the results will follow!  How do you stay excited about your training?

Nutritional Yeast

How many of you have heard of this cooking ingredient?  How many have used it in anything?  I had been vegetarian for over 5 years before I heard of it.  Anyway, so now I've used this ingredient in several recipes, mainly casseroles and gravies.  However, I still wasn't too sure about what the benefits were to it.  I know they recommended using it in these recipes because it made it seem creamier since I wasn't using cheese (I dabble in vegan recipes because of the health benefits and they are yummy!!!).  So I decided to do a little research.

This is what I found on Wikipedia which I know isn't always accurate so I would welcome anyone who has a better source of info to let me know:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae.^[1] Nutritional yeast is produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses for a period of 7 days and then harvesting, washing, drying and packaging it. This is commercially available in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder similar in texture to cornmeal, and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment.^[2]

Nutritional yeast flakes

It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, and is a complete protein. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium and is free of sugar, dairy, and gluten. Some brands of nutritional yeast, though not all, are fortified with vitamin B12. When fortified, the vitamin B12 is produced separately (commonly Cyanocobalamin) and then added to the yeast because yeasts are fungi, whereas B12 is synthesized only by bacteria.^[3][4][5]
Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of parmesan cheese. Another popular use is as a topping for popcorn, typically paired with pickles. It can also be used in mashed and fried potatoes, as well as put into scrambled tofu or eggs. Some movie theaters offer it along with salt or cayenne pepper as a popcorn condiment.^[6]

What do you think?  I think I should try adding it to my menu more often after reading the benefits.

So I got my self new running shoes and even though they didn't have it in the color I wanted it was a killer deal and so far after breaking them in for 1 week I love them!!  I think these are stiffer in the front around the ball of the foot then my last ones and that is what the doctor recommended for the extra support I needed so that I wouldn't experience the pain on the top of my foot.  Extra bonus there was no child labor used to produce these shoes!  I spent most of last weekend indoors which meant less mileage but I was a little down and spent most of my time on the couch watching Netflix so I'm glad I still managed to make myself get to the gym!  This week already looks way more promising!  Happy Running!

Living alone but not single, huh?

So I've always prided myself in being a self sufficient single gal and never thought I'd get married.  But then I met a guy that could keep up with me and before I new it I was married.  Now I'm spending my 1st year as a newly wed ALONE!  I was thinking this will be a breeze, I'm use to living alone, I've got this!  What I didn't realize that it's one thing to live alone and be single and it's another thing to be alone and married.  Anyway, now that I'm done with my pitty party here are a few things I've started doing now that I'm settling in to my psuedo single life that I couldn't get away with before :-)

1.  Picking movies out to watch on Netflix who's only qualification might be a hot guy with a six pack in it, and not getting the rolling of the eyes :-)  Face it guys no girl really liked the X-Men:Wolverine Movie!!

2. Eat whatever I want whenever I want or not eat or cook at ALL!!!  Sometimes for dinner I may have chips and salsa and that's it, or trying to live an entire 3 weeks off nothing except for my organic produce, I swear I think my skin turned green from all the juicing and kale I ate.

3.  Wake up early to and get my workout done without the whining of why can't we every sleep in, or why can't we just have one lazy day?

4. I can steel the covers and toss and turn all I want without getting yelled at.  I may or may not have let the dog take over his side of the bed from time to time, although I came to regret this the night she puked all over my bed :-)

5. If I don't feel like getting fully dressed I don't!  Now you may think why wouldn't you walk around naked if your husband is in the house he would love it?  Well, you see even those of us who outwardly give off an aura of confidence have their little quirks and can be self conscious.  So when I think of people walking around and doing stuff naked it reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where his girlfriend is trying to fix the bike or open the pickle jar!

6.  Some people may skip a shower here or there, not that I would ever do that! Or not shave on a regular basis, TMI??????  Sorry...


7.  Without a smelly dirty boy around you don't have to clean as often, buy as many groceries, and get to spend as much as you want on clothing!

8.  Finding great gal pals and getting to spend lots of quality time talking about girl stuff, you know running, sales on exercise clothes, getting to race weight, no that's just me?

9.  Leaving my half drank diet Dr. P around without getting scolded for never finishing it

10.  Play my latin pop music so loud that I don't have to make myself suffer with my singing (yes I'm that bad) all while doing a crazy dance that makes my dog go bonkers and do this weird thing that's kind of between a growl, yelp and yoddle because she doesn't know what to do with me! 

So all that fun stuff put aside, I really do miss him and can't wait to hopefully have him back just in time for our 1 year anniversary!

What do you do when you get the house to yourself?

Ironman AZ Part I and Winner!

Where to start...  I have a winner for the MyMemories software giveaway and I will announce that here in this post.  Let's start with the fact that my dad and I are now officially Ironmen in training!  I spent the whole weekend giving my dad "outs" just to make sure he really wanted to do this and if anything his resolve grew stronger as the weekend went on.  Then after 3 hours of standing in line for the volunteer registration we did it!  It is getting way more expensive though, it's now up to $682 just for the entry fee!  I didn't realize active.com charges a fee that is proportionate to the cost of the race which made their fee alone $30!!  So starting backwards here are some pics of my dad and I signing up for Ironman 2012:

Hour 2 of the 3 hour wait in the volunteer line..

Signing your life away for the next year!

This will be our 1st father/daughter triathlon together!

Let me tell you if you have never volunteered for a race like this and always been a racer it is so worth doing.  Seeing the race from the other side was amazing!  I saw the emotion on the athletes faces and I remember what it felt like going through some of those same emotions myself.  Hearing the cheers and yells from the volunteers and spectators was thrilling and made me fully appreciate them.  The pros were amazing and non-stoppable seeing them in motion was one of the greatest experiences ever.  Not to mention watching everyone finish and seeing the proof that they left everything they had out there on the course!  I was relieved to see that the swimmers coming out of the water were as disoriented as I felt when I had done it.  It happens to everyone!  I remember when I race I am sometimes self conscious of how I look during a triathlon, I mean the bloated stomach, the wet dog look, the exhaustion that shows in your eyes you'd think that isn't a pretty look, right?!?!  But as I saw the athletes come out of the water or transition or finish all I saw was strength, determination and the will to overcome any obstacle it was beyond words and I will never again be self conscious. So because there were so many great pics I will have to do this in sections.

Part I - Swim and Transition I - These are the unedited pics.

Swim Start

Pros coming out of the swim no volunteers to help them!

Note the swim time..

Strippers, not as glorious of a job as it sounds!

Love the look on his face!

Remember to wear your bathing suit..

Unzipping duty

Add caption

It's hard getting out of the water because you are numb from the cold!

Worst job ever, taking the timing chip and telling someone they didn't make the cutoff!

Did I finish?

Ironman in to be?

Getting close to the swim cutoff..

All the kyakers coming in to guide the last people to swim finish as quickly as possible and cheering..

Being told she just barely made the cutoff

The "voice" of Ironman

Just found out she didn't make the cutoff

Heartbreaking...

Doggie support!

She was there to cheer on her dad..

My dad the real photographer and future Ironman

Already in the lead

Name that pro

Add caption

Getting bathed in sunscreen & a little booty shaking.

I am so thankful for having the opportunity to do some amazing things in my life and thanks dad for making this weekend happen!!!

Ok the WINNER for the My Memories giveaway is : Big Daddy Diesel!!!  Congrats, this might end up making a great Christmas present...  I will have a code that you will use to download the software.  Let me know an e-mail address to send the code and instructions to you.  

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!  Part II will come after Thanksgiving...