Taking it back to the beginning to restart

I did my first triathlon in 2009. It's not something I ever aspired to do, and at the time, I only had one former co-worker who'd ever finished one, Neither my friends nor any of my family members even had an interest in triathlons.
Like a child experiencing a public pool for the very first time, I gingerly dipped a toe into multi-sport, before I was coaxed into taking a dive in deep end.
My first two events (back-to-back weekends; big mistake) were sprint triathlons (pool swim). I then tried out international distance (open water swim), the next year, in addition to a couple sprint races. This year I signed up for an Olympic distance race with the swim being in the Pacific Ocean. (what's wrong with me?)
I'm still very excited about triathlons, and share my journey and newfound love with anyone who will listen, but I've definitely lost some of my training motivation. I don't have my original training group, the ladies I met in TriItForLife (more on that as we go) some of which were my running partners in the Northside Training Group, or even my sisters who I convinced to do their first triathlons' in 2010. (Yet another story for another day).
I find myself once again at a bit of a crossroads. Having moved to California, I've let the distractions of every day life slow down by training momentum. I admit, I have absolutely no excuse; I found another training group, Sisters Tri-ing; I live across the street from a running and biking path on the beach; and I'm within walking distance of an Olympic sized swim complex. The weather is not hot or sticky like it was in Charlotte. I should be in my best shape ever. But I'm not. If I'm to be ready for the race in Sept., according to my training plan, I have to get myself in gear, beginning tomorrow. I've talked to some former TIFLers, and many of them have fallen into a secondary slump. The desire is still there, but the day to day motivation is not the same. So, to try to get myself (and some of you)back in gear, I'm taking a look back at how it all began, when I first decided to "Try a Tri"......