Something Moore

Since I'm bad about sending out the annual Christmas card (I've never done it) I figured I would do the Dwyer 2009 summary in my blog. Clay and I had a wonderful year filled with some interesting challenges and amazing blessings. So here we go!

January - Clay and I spent last Christmas in Montana with my folks. Unfortunately Clay had a little run in with the moguls and tore his ACL so January was spent preparing for surgery. I also started my last semester of law school! However, our greatest blessing was finding a new church home and making some great new friends!

February - Clay had his surgery but not until we got to see our favorite comedian, Bryan Reagan, in concert. The show was awesome! Clay's surgery was very successful but it made for a challenging month because he spent 6 weeks on crutches and couldn't drive.


March - We had a huge windstorm which blew down our fence. Since Clay was stilled laid up we called in the cavalry and my uncles helped fix the fence. Thanks again Uncle Don and Uncle Dean!

April - I had my 29th birthday so I am now as old as I'll ever get! I spent my time enjoying the last month of being a student (maybe forever) and preparing for my last finals!!! Clay finished rehab and got back on his feet (literally)!

May - I graduated from law school and was blessed to have lots of friends and family come to celebrate. My folks, Amanda, and Gene and Pati came from the far off reaches of the northwest to help celebrate. Plus lots of friends came over to the house from around the city to enjoy a great dessert reception! SO MUCH FUN!!! Also later that month we were bless to have my grandparents stop by for a visit as well as my sister's family. So much fun!


June - All I can say is BAR PREP! I spent the month working part time and studying for the bar full time! Clay was a trooper and did a summer class and helped out as much as he could. Unfortunately there's not a lot a person can do to help someone who is freaking out!

July - THE BAR!!! July 28th I took the bar! While it was scary I was mostly glad to have it over with. I think Clay will join me in saying that I NEVER want to go through that again. Clay helped out a ton by cooking for the study group and trying to keep us all from complete panic and melt down. Thanks Clay!!!


August - August was a BIG month! I rejoined the workforce and again became a full time contributor to the gross national product! YEAH ME! I love my job and have been very blessed. Also Clay celebrated another birthday by fishing in Canada with my dad. (If you want to hear some tall tales... I mean fishing stories just ask!) Clay and I also celebrated 5 years of marriage. I love you honey!


September - Clay's work took him to Winnipeg where he got to spend time with his family. (Hi Ally, Rick, Aiden, Drew & Rhys!) I found out that I passed the bar and was sworn in as a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association. (Yes I'm now a licensed attorney :)!)


October - Clay had to return to Canada for work (this time Calgary) so I took up my latest sport - rowing! I had a great time in my learn to row class and found my new favorite activity :)!

November - While Clay was still in Canada I went to visit him in Banff! We had a wonderful time staying in a castle and exploring the Canadian rockies. We also participated in our favorite Thanksgiving tradition - overindulging and Ellen and Phillip's house :)!


December - As we wound down the year Clay was back in town and we spent a great deal of time with friends at different holiday functions!

Clay and I have been truly blessed this year! We hope 2010 brings even more adventures to the Dwyer household. We hope to be able to visit many of you in the coming year and as always if you find yourself in good ol' OKC please stop by we'd love to see you. God bless and Happy New Year!

Apparently Oklahoma hasn't had a white Christmas in around 50 years. Today is going to change that. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!








At 4pm the airport had reported 10 inches of snow in OKC and every major highway and road was shut down.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would update on my rowing. I've learned a lot about this sport over the last few months which has been a lot of fun. It's not very often I get the chance to be immersed in a completely new activity.

Today I did my first 20 minute Erg test. The Erg is the real name for the rowing machine that typically sits lifeless in a gym because most people don't know how to use it. However, the Erg is interesting because you can get a cardio and strength workout simultaneously. Bottom line, if you use the machine properly it will kick your butt!

Anyhow, back to the test. The goal was to Erg as fast and hard as you could and be able to maintain that pace for 20 minutes. Since I didn't know what I should be aiming for my coach suggested I try to keep a 2:22 split. That means I can row 500m in 2 minutes and 22 seconds. Halfway through my piece my coach asked how it felt and based on my reaction she had me step it up to a 2:20 split.

The workout was really hard but my problem has been I don't know what's "good". So I cornered my coach and what I learned today will really help. To compare rowing to running I know I can run a 9:30 mile and keep that pace forever. I may not be fast compared to other people but I know if I'm going to run a distance race that's the pace I will set for myself because I'll be able to finish and have kept my pace the whole race. Today's Erg test was designed to find my "9:30 mile pace" for rowing. Right now my pace is about a 2:21 meaning I can row that pace for as long as I need to.

Now the next question is if this is a "good" pace. Apparently female rowers who are Olympians or who are at the top colleges on scholarship will have a flat 2 minutes or below split time. So, as in running, I'm not fast but I do know that I can keep my pace for a long time. And now I have an idea of what kind of time I should be shooting for when I take my next 20 minute Erg test.

Sorry it was a boring post. I promise to have something more interesting soon!