A Truly Astonishing Week - Part 3... Andy!!!

Grieving My Losses

Out of all of the extended Supra family, I've known Andy the longest. I met him when I was 16 at a camp. I think if you had asked us all those years ago if we'd believe we were destined to become besties, I don't quite know what you might have heard us say. It's not because I didn't like him, he was nice enough. But we didn't talk much - probably because he thought I was nuts. Fair assumption. Years later, I met him again around the same time I met Greg - funny that because they lived together for 5 years before Greg moved in with me. And you have never seen a funnier coupling. To this day they are still niggling each other, arguing about everything and laughing at each other, they are a great match made from very similar molds.

So Andy has been in my life for a very long time now and I have watched him over the past few years really establish what interests he'd like to pursue and chase after his goals with such determination and tenacity, that he often renders the rest of us lazy, simply in comparison! This is a man who took up playing football at 34 and can run around the field with the young pups, often putting them to shame. A man who is more competitive than anyone else I know, all you have to do is set the man a challenge and he has already achieved it ten minutes ago....and probably exceeded all expectations. Why so driven? I think Andy is just one of the few people in the world who know that the body can withstand more than your mind allows you to think it can, and he takes it to the limits. His mental strength and perseverance is ridiculous.

I saw Andy's competitive nature again on the back deck of our houseboat...where by nightfall of our first eve on the boat he had caught his 40th carp already! No word of a lie. Albeit they were mostly little ones, but still.....we had only been able to fish since 6pm!!! And I saw it too when he, Micka and Steve set up a makeshift fitness circuit. Andy is one of the fittest guys I know, and he works hard for that label. He doesn't just go to footy training. He also makes sure he runs several other times a week to improve his fitness and skills, and he is very motivated to increase his strength to prevent injuries and just generally get the best out of himself. Steve and Micka play in the same footy team as Andy, so they were all keen to keep up their fitness while away.

So they all suited up (shoes and workout gear) and hit the banks of the river. I did too. Now, I can tell you the stereotypes of people who intimidate me....and footy players are high on that list. But this is Steve, Micka and Andy. So they are less intimidating, but when I was considering taking the opportunity to workout with them or not, I did note the vast difference in our fitness levels, my aching recently weaned boobs and the fact that I'm sure none of them had seen the full force of my red head. But twas the week for throwing caution to the wind and giving everything a go, and I suited up!!! Correction. Was not the week for trying new things. Is now the life for it. I actually left myself wide open for jokes when I announced (after a red wine) at the dinner table that this week was for trying new things and that I would do anything anyone asked of me..........

So we had 5 different stations.
1. A kettle bell swing that looked very alarmingly like you are trying the hump the crap out of it to get it up in the air. All the boys felt it necessary to show me how it worked. I felt rude for watching.
2. Jump ups onto a log. Micka made it look easy enough so when I could hardly coordinate both feet off the ground at the same time and almost stacked it before we even began...so could have given up then. Didn't. Just amended mine to step ups instead.
3. Tricep dips on the log. Easy enough.
4. Another kettle bell exercise that I didn't do, opting for push ups instead (the kettle bell was well above my strength level.)
5. A run along a track. The boys had their track, and I had mine which was about 1/3 or maybe even 1/4 of their distance...but that didn't matter cause it took me approximately about the same time to get my shuffle along my little track as it did for them to pace out theirs.

Here are the strapping young lads...thrusting and planking away. Kat got this pic just before I arrived at workout session. They were warming up.

We worked a few different combos of time, but mostly it looked like 80sec working with 40 sec break to catch your breath...and in your break you could opt to do the plank for fun. After the first circuit I was well red in the face and working hard. My breath was quick and heavy. I was feeling the affects big time already. I pushed through. After the second circuit we all agreed to pop back to the boats for a very quick drink and then straight back into 3rd set. Briefly my mind gave me the option of sitting down next to Greg on the boat and not completing that 3rd. Didn't. And the beauty of the circuit is that you can all work to your own individual level of fitness and strength. So we did. I was encouraged by the boys and their outstanding efforts, and they were proud and impressed with me for what I could do. And by the end, I'm pretty sure we were all sweating, panting, and feeling like we had done our best.

So lets get this straight. I worked out with three fit football players. For fun. And wasn't embarrassed. Actually felt the opposite. I felt like I belonged there, in my group of friends, being active and having a laugh as we go. Encouraging each other until the next break and laughing at Andy when he gagged from his extreme effort. Getting out into the wide world and enjoying every second. Taking opportunities as they are offered. God I was proud of myself.

And I was watching Andy. Not in a weird stalker way. But in an observing awesomeness way. Because he has the most committed training style I have ever seen. And not because he almost threw up. That's gross. But because he just kept going and going. And he was working hard. He was breathing the hardest. Sweating the most. Groaning the most. And we were all working our arses off. But he was the friggin energiser bunny or something! In the rests, where at times we would all fail to plank and stand there sucking in the big ones instead, mostly Andy would be on the ground planking away during his rest periods. Amazing!

But don't you know it when you have worked out muscles that haven't been used in a while. As much as you stretch, you are going to get sorer and sorer. So this is the thing I am most proud of for the week. My workout with the boys was on Thursday morning. My first wakeboarding attempt was that same afternoon! That trying and trying and trying and endlessly holding on as best I can, was with arms that had just worked out with three fit footballers. Those arms that held on time and time again had just been doing push ups and tricep dips just hours before. Those same arms that finally got me out of the water were already weary arms from an awesome session. And I can tell you they were certainly getting stiff by the time I hit the water. Did I care? No! Did I persevere? Yes. And was I the MOST determined person Greg has ever seen behind our boat...even with jelly arms?! YES!

Because I had been watching (stalking?) Andy and I realised as I was floating in the water, mustering the energy to go again, that Andy knows how to get the most out of his body. And I wanted to get the most out of mine too. So I did. And don't forget.....I wakeboarded again the following day. Oh, and don't also forget...I am 40kg overweight. Proud much?

I wanna have that commitment to my life. I want to suck every single thing I can out of every single situation so I not only get the best, but so that I can be the best, and so I can give my best to others. I don't want to just live like it doesn't matter anymore, just a bit willy nilly.And I wanna be fit so that these activities can be even better next time. I am going to own my own wakeboard next summer and get a girly life jacket, not a massive mens one. Mark my words kids. It's going to happen.

I left out an important part of my experience of wakeboarding yesterday, deliberately so I could share it with you today. After my second and more successful wakeboard attempt, the first 60 seconds in the boat were all about how awesome it was. How happy I was. How inspired I felt. And then it hit me strong enough that I felt like crying....from sadness and grief.

I could have had 10 years of this joy. I could have loved it all along. And all these different moments came flooding back of moments that I have not participated, moments of me saying no for no reason. Of me getting fatter and fatter. Of me feeling more and more insecure. I could've punched myself in the throat right then and there. IDIOT! And this is the moment guys. This is the true moment I have been waiting for all along where all of a sudden it clicks. I finally understood what I had been doing to myself and how I had put myself at such a disadvantage in life by missing all this amazingness all along. All the times I could have felt this joy. All the times I could have been proud of my efforts.

I know what you are already rushing to tell me. And you are right. The important part of this story is that I made it this far. But I think it is important for me to grieve my 20s. Yes, I have achieved so much, I have a wonderful life and I am very happy and proud of it, but there was so much more to do as well. I feel I have been only living 70% of the life intended for me for so long now. And I need to acknowledge that and grieve it, because I would hate to just sweep it under the rug and then repeat the same mistake again. I want to focus on it for a while, because it is my wake up call. Life could have been EVEN better than what it already had been. Amazing! And I've had a taste of it and I will not be going back from here kids.

I'm glad I have begun my 40kg challenge, because snowboarding will be so much easier to try when I am lighter and so much stronger. ;)

And Andy? Take a knee, for I have something to say to you. You are a training machine and I have a lot to learn from you. Your encouragement and knowledge has been gratefully received and I intend to continue picking your brain as I travel down this road. Thank you for making something click in me that I never quite understood before. xo

Ciao for Now,
LG, Life's Great!

A Truly Astonishing Week - Part 2...Steve!!!

A true satisfaction - for both parties!

Steve has been one of Greg's main men for as long as I can remember. I actually met them both on the same night, at a friends 18th birthday party. Although Steve thinks we first met a little while later, and his first memory of me is not one I wish to remember and cannot help going bright red anytime he refers to 'when he first met me', because I know he has it wrong and I know what he is thinking. Ka Boom! Embarrassment head explosion!

But despite this discrepancy he has grown to be one of my best male buddies. We have shared many a deep and meaningful conversation about grief, tragedy, sadness, faith, hope, and happiness. He is also one of my favourite drinking buddies (sorry girls, but being twice your size I fail to feel the effects at the same speed as you, frowny face - wish I did though, would be more fun and cheaper!). He is also a musical genius with vocals and the guitar so I love to sing with him whenever I get the chance. He is a caring guy who loves Greg, Lucy and I as family as we do him and his family too. We are a real little family together. In fact, in 2007 when they returned from living 6 months in the UK, Steve and his wife Kat moved in with us for a while. Then you can add in Andy and Amy and you have our little Supra family. Lame name guys! Who calls themselves a Supra family. Well, don't get all carried away...its the brand of the boat we all own together...so it just happened. And yes we have Supra hats, but they were given to us for free!!! For our holiday, Steve was my personal trainer #2.

So as mentioned previously, Steve has been itching for years to teach me how to get up wakeboarding and has been quite confident all along that I would be able to do it no worries! Me? I didn't think so. I had honestly given it my all and I didn't know what I could possibly do that was any different to what I had done before. So after 9 years of rejecting the opportunity to try wakeboarding, and 4 years of actually owning my own part in a very fancy wakeboarding board I made the choice that our houseboat trip on the Murray would be the time. And I don't know what is different now, why I have come to this point. Is it that I want Lucy to grow up taking all the opportunities she is offered and having an awesome time? Is it the hypnosis that I had that makes the excuses fade away once I have made up my mind? Is it the self acceptance that comes with time, making everyone else's opinions of me smaller that my own? Who knows....all I know was that the time had finally come for me to get my moneys worth out of the boat!!!

But it took until day five of our trip for me to actually do it. I knew I'd do it, but I just couldn't seem to line anything up time wise with Lucy's naps and when the boat was heading out. In all honesty, I could have said 'can we go now?' and they would have dropped it all to take me. But I didn't. So on Thursday, I decided it would be the day. Steve, Greg, Lucy and Mon (official blog photographer!) jumped in the boat with me and we all got psyched to give it a good shot! Well, we all got psyched for me to give it a good shot! I was ready! And excited!!! Finally my time had come.

And it must be said that Steve has taught many many many beginners behind our boat how to get up. He knows what he is talking about, and how to convey the message of what you need to do to achieve the purpose, so I was pumped to have him there instructing me. I honestly knew deep down that if I just kept trying for as long as I could I would get it. And so, as with the Stand Up Paddle board yesterday, I have some awesome and slightly ungraceful pics to share with you......check them out! 

 

Alright, so here I am rocking my best wake chick look, whilst telling Steve all the tips I have heard him say over the years to all the beginners. He filled in the blanks and then I was ready to get started. At this point, I was simply excited and pretty sure of myself.

Once I was in, Steve gave me a few last minute tips.... you know, keep hold of the rope and watch out for dirty carp - all the important things you need to know. Clearly, I'm hanging on every word because I wanted so badly to get it right thing time! 

 Steve giving me his words of advice and encouragement...and looking mega cool too.

And that is how quickly each try went! The force on your hands and arms is ridiculous as you try to hang on for dear life to a rope that is trying it's best to yank you out of the water. To make it slightly tougher, it also feels like the entire body of water you are floating it doesn't want to let you go and it resists your every move! And when you are overweight as I am, your arm muscles just don't feel strong enough to hold on. So what do you do? You try again. And again. And again! And then add at least 15 more times in there before you could see me actually getting somewhere. But you know what? 

 

 

I was still grinning from ear to ear. And man I wanted it to happen, I was so not willing to return to the boat, or to this blog without some kind of success!!! I just gritted my teeth (it's alright, there is actually a pic coming up of me doing just that) and tried and tried and tried. We tried different methods, placing weight at different points, moving this way and that. My arms were burning. My palms of my hands were developing blisters because the rope kept snapping out of them. But I just kept thinking, I'll give it another shot. And another. We must have been trying and falling for about 30 minutes at least, before all of a sudden, I was getting closer and closer to getting up. And finally........

 Aaaaaaaaaw..............Lucy fell asleep at this point........

 Hold on one last time Lauren - do not let go....

 Grit those teeth girl but DO NOT LET GO!!! YOU HOLD ON! YOU ARE ALMOST UP!!!

 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I'M UP. 

SHIT, WHAT DO I DO NOW!??????

Oh this is what you do! Hahahaha! SUCCESS! Sweet sweet well deserved, long awaited success. And remember yesterday I talked of pure delight. Here it was again kids, absolute delight. And oh my, can I tell you the amazing feeling of being up? Because for all the times I had tried wakeboarding, I hadn't succeeded in getting up, I only knew how it felt to struggle through the wall of water trying to get above it. But let me tell you once I was up, I felt like I was walking on water. I felt completely weightless and free, flying along the top of the water, like I was doing a completely different activity to the one I had been participating in 2 seconds ago. Just then, it was hard, resistance training. But now it was freedom from the resistance, even if it did only last for 10 seconds or so.

Hey, can you see the delight in this pic!? And you know what, the following day I could hardly move. Poor Lucy wasn't feeling well and just wanted to be picked up, so I had to move but let me tell you each time I picked her up I struggled big time. But did I regret it? Not for one single second. And you know what else? I got out that following day and did it all again, except this time....I got up more often than not, and I got to get some more time skimming across the top of the mighty Murray to feel that amazing rush. And I was so pleased that I tried again. Even though I could hardly lift Lucy, I went again. And I was better the second day, and I wakeboarded for further than I thought I would/could and I got to face the board sideways and actually try and learn to find my balance. It was incredible.

And as I was reflecting on my experience with Greg later that evening, he said something I will forever hold dear to my heart....'Bub, you are the MOST determined person I have ever seen behind our boat. You just don't give up, and you weren't getting frustrated. You just kept going and going'. And he was right. I was going to give it everything I had in me to make it work cause I wanted it so badly. And am I proud of myself, and so glad he saw that determination in me too, because he too was so proud of my efforts.  

And now? I can't wait til I get out and give it another go. I honestly never understand why Greg and our friends enjoyed wakeboarding so much, when all I saw was their injuries....why would you want to do something you constantly hurt yourself in? Well, their injuries are actually rare, and I see now how much fun it can be. And I am just itching to get out there and do even better than I did last time! And I love that I gave it a shot and I am grateful Steve can teach people so well and see exactly what needs to happen. You know, it was the smallest thing that needed changing. Because when he saw me try the first time he said I was already almost there. And from that moment, he relaxed in confidence of my ability, which made me relax too. 

So Steve, thank you for helping me, encouraging me and celebrating my win once we got past that stupid other boat. I owe you a beer. Or a red. Or something else enjoyable over a dinner with our lovely families. 

Oh and guys, I'm not finished....because I have EVEN MORE to share with you tomorrow. 

P.S Great work on the pics Monica Imrie!

Ciao for now! 

LG, Life's Great!

   

A Truly Astonishing Week - Part 1...Micka!!!

A Turning Point In My Life....

There are moments in my life that have caused me to feel pure and unadulterated delight. The delight a child feels on Christmas morning, the pure happiness and glee that lights up their eyes and makes them talk about it for days, weeks, years to come. Finally delivering Lucy into the world was pure delight. Hearing Greg say he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, pure delight. Hearing that my best friend had come through a risky surgery with flying colours and to later hear that they had got all the tumour...PURE DELIGHT!

These precious moments have been far outweighed though, by moments of insecurity, fear and embarrassment. And I could spend the rest of this week talking about all of those moments, because there is always one more story about how I was too scared to try something new, too afraid to hurt myself and too embarrassed to look like a clumsy idiot. But I won't.

Because I have delicious stories of pure delight to share with you this week! Stories that I will hold dear to my heart forever for many reasons! Tales of bravery and success beyond my own belief (albeit possibly within your belief!) and of support and encouragement like no other.

And I don't quite no where to start....or how to write it up. So I want to begin by telling you about my good friend Micka who I have known for 10 years now. Micka and I have always gotten on well and laughed our way through many a conversation together, we have a lot in common. He is a musical genius on the drums and has a great singing voice too. He is also my recent inspiration...he has lost approx 30kgs and changed his whole lifestyle very successfully to become what he wants it to be. A healthy, active life full of activities for him and his family, a well balanced career and he still seems to have time to encourage me in my own challenge to achieve the same. And not just me. It's in his nature to help and encourage everyone! So if you can't tell, I love this man - he is a dear friend and I feel like sharing a little praise. For my holiday, I consider Micka to be my personal trainer #1.

Now, do you realise how far it is to Mildura...when most of the Riverina is in flood? It took us two days of good solid driving with three babies plus three boys in four different cars but we finally got there. And it was like summer! The weather was hot, the water was beautiful, the houseboats were lovely and the flood waters wouldn't be arriving until we were long gone. So it was time to play! I was ready to try the Stand Up Paddle Board.

Oh but hold on...that isn't what happened first! I forgot to mention that during Micka's amazing personal transformation he had learnt a barefoot running technique that he wanted to show me, because I had been asking for tips in increasing my jogging endurance. Now, it is important to mention that on day one of our trip I dropped that final feed with Lucy and stopped breastfeeding completely. So by the 2nd day of our trip, the last thing I felt like doing was give them a good shake up. But he convinced me it'd be worth my while and so I did something I never thought I would ever do. I put on my joggers (and my jogging bra!) and we went up onto the bank where he had a look at my running technique (70 yr old shuffle) and we worked on it for five or ten minutes. And people on both my boat and Micka's were watching us as they fished off the back. And I DIDN'T CARE! I was more interested in getting help to further my capabilities than to worry about anything they might be thinking. But if I was a fly on the wall, I bet everything they were saying was only positive, because that is who my family and friends are.

On the 4th day, Micka and I finally found a time that was convenient for me to give the Stand Up Paddle board a go - and I have some very unglamourous pics to prove it! His wife and my good friend, the beautiful Mon is a bit of a fancy photographer, so I employed her as my official blog photographer for the week so I could report back in accurate style. Now, I can tell you I'm sure it felt way more graceful than what you will see here, but I am friggin proud of myself for giving it a great shot on my first go, getting up on the board with Micka's assistance and paddling down the river and back most of the way...until I fell off again! I certainly got wet...and there was a great deal of laughter. But man, I am just so proud of myself for achieving goal number one and actually being better than I thought I would be at it!

So the rest is history...but fortunately I have pictures for you! I hope they bring you pure delight too! And yes, I realise they aren't the most attractive pics of me, but you know what...I do not care. For they are here to share with you a pivotal moment in my life, and one of the most enjoyable experiences of my holiday! Thanks Mick and Mon for such a fun moment in time!

A little bank tuition beforehand always helps, Mon thinks I got way more info than she did on her first go, but I told her that is probably because he was more concerned with my ability than hers ;)

 

So I asked him to give me a demo of how to do it...this doesn't look like a fake fall at all!

 

 

Here I am feeling very safe and secure on the board, like every other time I've been on a board (never!), ready to give this a good shot! Eeeeeek! 

 

 

And off I go, after paddling a little way on my tummy, I managed to scoot myself up onto my knees. Now, even that is quite difficult you know, your every tiny move sends the board rocking this way and that way, so every action requires a counter balance and deep concentration. Paddle paddle paddle.

 

Deep concentration.... or a deep fall into the might Murray River!!! Whoops! Hehehe! I have never laughed so hard trying to do something. I didn't feel stupid once, just laughed it off and tried again. Let me tell you, to the first time I tried to get back onto the board, I thought it was over before it began. I could hardly lift myself up onto it, but I got it eventually, and it got easier and easier the more often I did it.

 

Hehehehe, oops, sorry Micka! Although, I told you he has been working out. LOL! Use the force Loz!  

 

ALRIGHT! Let's try getting up onto my feet, shuffle shuffle shuffle, remember to counter balance and stay steady......

 

 

Whoops! And she's in again. Face plant into the Murray.

 

 

Hold on a second, I was standing a minute a go....and now I'm on my butt!!!

 

 

It was a laugh a minute at this point! Into the drink I go again!

 

 

Micka offers a lifeline just as I was getting weary from all my falling, and helps me stand while he holds the board to allow me to get my balance on my feet.  

 

And I'm OFF!!! And just as Micka promised, the fast you are going the easier it is to stay balanced....like a bike. It is the best feeling paddling away downstream, but man you use all the muscles in your whole body every single second of the time you are up. You are constantly balancing, overbalancing, righting yourself and doing it all again. Talk about an intensive yet fun workout!  

 

Wooohooooooooooooo! Look at me go! I was yelling all the time by this point, cheering myself on and loving it! 

 

That's our houseboats on the side, I even let go of the paddle with one hand to wave to Lucy when she and Greg came out to cheer me on from the back deck with all my other buddies too.

 

 

Oh there are our houseboats...and the paddle board. Hmmmm, I am just out of this shot after stacking it again.

 

And one for the camera!?

And to finish the event in perfect style, grace and poise! So much fun and so pleased I tried it, event though I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it. I surprised myself and a few others and was so excited by the whole experience that it taught me to just give things a go, you never know what you might be capable of. 

Ciao for now!
LG, Life's Great!