Winter?

Yeah, feels like winter's on it's way. . . . . . . .doesn't it?

Happy Birthday

I meant to give a B-day shout out to my dad yesterday. . . .happy birthday dad.

I guess it's a just a day for "great people" to be born. . . . .I hear this guy shares the same b-day.

I'm hoping nicer weather is on it's way again. . . .but all of a sudden I'm getting SLAMMED with work junk again, so perhaps it's OK that the weather isn't so nice.

5:15 will come way too early tomorrow. . . . . maybe I'll sleep in and skip yoga. We'll see.

Is it summer??

Wow, what a beautiful day! Absolutely amazing. Too bad they say it's all going to turn to crap again tomorrow. I went against "the plan" today and even though I raced yesterday. . . . .I snuck in a road ride today. How could one NOT (if you have the time). I also took Athena out when I got home from the crit yesterday for an hour. . . . .I think I have the shifters in the right place, now I just need to get the rear shock under control. . . .so I'm actually USING it.

Was digging through some pics this afternoon to find something "interesting" to post and I came across this picture from 2003. People laugh when I tell them I used to carry a few extra pounds. This picture was taken after I had already started to lose some of that "extra". I'll have to find you some good ones of my "fat" days. Captain and I both had those days. Right before I started biking. . . . . . . . .


I guess if NOTHING else riding your bike a LOT slowly but surely sheds the pounds. Sure, it may take 3 years to drop 25 pounds. . . . . .but you won't have to give up ANYTHING, and you'll actually be able to eat MORE.

I love to bike. I just wish I hadn't waited until I was 30 to discover "athletics". Oh well. . . .better late than never.

Surprise

Decided on a whim to go race the crit today. . . . . .of course I had to drag my "riding buddy" along with me and make her suffer as well. . . . . .then one has to also take along the Cheering section so there's someone to cheer for us and take pictures of us. . . . .thanks Squirt.

The race went well. Amy and I actually surprised ourselves. We spent most of the race in the front. . . . . . .often times setting the pace, since no one wanted to "do the work". Several times we were able to "jump" when the "fast girls" went. . . . . .and in the end we managed to sprint it in with the others. Not the smartest tactics today, but then again we were racing for a work out and THAT we got. I finished on Amy's wheel, we took 7th & 8th out of 17 cat 4 women. All in all, a good day.

Of course coming into the race completely sore from the work out we did on Saturday at the gym with the Platos didn' t help. That was evident watching Shooter climb the steps to go to the bathroom. Despite the fact MOVING was difficult, I think we managed to do OK.

And the TOTALLY AWESOME weather was the icing on the cake. Man I can't wait for it to be like that EVERY day!

Humor

Yeah I know

I've dropped off the face of the earth. I've actually been working a fair amount. . . . .and trying to get my rides in as well. All that makes for a full calendar. . . . . .and not a lot of energy.

Of course the weather doesn't help. . . . . . .what's up with this STRANGE WI weather? Raining one day, snowing the next, 60 degrees one day, 32 the next, sunshine, no sunshine, it's so confusing.

Thank goodness TODAY turned out nice. At least I got to sneak out for a nice ride while the rest of the world was working. . . . .sucka's. . . . .of course the other slacker snuck out with me too. . . . .buy they say she doesn't work either. . . . . .

The Weekend in Review

Saturday the sunshine called us out for a ride. . . . .even though the temps were COLD. The only place that could support our wheels was the gravel trail. . . .and even that was in rough shape.

Of course Saturday WAS St. Patrick's Day. . . . .so The General paid tribute.

We once again took "the Virgin" on another virgin ride. First true ride with her REAL shoes & pedals. . . . .of course we had to remind her to clip in and out in plenty of time. Luckily the ONE digger she took was right away. . . .and it was in the driveway. What a dork. . . . . .fits right in with "the group".

Once she got the pedals down she was lookin' like a pro.

This girl (below) made an appearance. . . . . .she goes by so many names, I'm not sure which to call her. . . . . .SS Amy. . . .Shooter. . . . new Team Pedal Moraine rider. . . . .ok, not really, the jacket was just on loan. . . . . .

The Captain deep in thought.

And I'm such a dork I wasn't sure who this was. . . .thought it was the Virgin. . . . .yeah, it's me.

We did cross paths with the other group of Pedal riders out there. . . . .but we weren't quite quick enough to stay with them. That's alright, it gave us a chance to "stop and smell the flowers". . . . .and have some good conversation.

Later that evening we headed up to Pipe along with our "North Carolina bound" friends, to have some scrumptious dinner at Jim and Linda's on the lake. I highly recommend stopping there if you're ever in the area.

Unfortunately all the other pictures taken that evening make everyone look like TOTAL dorks. So to spare the feelings of those people. . . . I'll only put these two in for your viewing pleasure (you're welcome Colleen).

Sunday brought a little warmer temperatures. . . . . . .a nice long road ride with no pictures. . . . . .a quick stop due to some "derailleur failure". . . . .a nice relaxing soak in the hot tub and a 2 hour stop at the Captain's FAVORITE store Cabela's. I found a nice pair of summer hiking shoes so I'm ALL set. Heck I can probably do the Trail Runs with these babies.

That brings you all up to date on my weekend. Lots of riding. . . .a fun time had with friends. . . .and of course, lots of good food & drink. I can't wait to do it all again. Is it Friday yet??!?!?

Smile

Smile. It's Friday.


And I'm going to ride my mountain bike tomorrow with my friends. Sweet.

Stone Mountain

On Sunday we went to hike up Stone Mountain.

The funny thing is. . . . .it literally is a STONE MOUNTAIN. There are some "confederate guys" carved into the side of it. . . . .but despite the fact that I have "Southern roots" I've turned into a "Yankee" (as I'm told). . . . .so I have no idea who those guys are (nor do I care really). But they were neat to look at.

We had a picnic (and took a nap) on the grass in the courtyard of the mountain. Yeah, the grass was still brown, but at least it wasn't SNOW.

And it did have pretty views from above. . . . . . .I was suprised at how many people were hiking the "stone". People from all walks of life. Of course you only saw the more "fit" people at the top. . . . . but kuddos to all the others for attempting the journey.

And of course we had to stop and pose along the way. Boy it was nice to wear shorts and a tank top. I can't wait until that weather comes to Wisconsin again. . . . . . .

For now I guess we'll just enjoy the cold temps we have. . . . .and hope for the Eisenbahn trail to freeze enough to ride on our mountain bikes this weekend. It's better than nothing!

Where's the nice weather headed?

Yes, I'm back from the nice, 70-80 degree weather. . . . . .and looking at the forecast for the next few days, I'm already missing my "vacation destination".

My trip to Georgia was a fun one. Although I managed to catch a cold Wednesday evening. . . . .just HOURS before hopping a plane. Once on the ground, I purchased a enough cold medication to keep myself medicated every 4-5 hours for my entire trip, and that seemed to help. While I felt crummy, I was still able to enjoy my time there. . . . .while preventing the cold from making it past my head.

On Friday we spent an hour at the gym with my cousin's personal trainer, learning some new "dynamic stretching" as well as working our upper body, our abs & our hamstrings. It reminded me how much I miss having someone help structure my weight workouts. . . . .instead of just doing the boring machines.

Then we headed to the falls (I already forgot the name of them) to hike up 700ish of these nasty steps to reach the top. I have a "heights" issue so some of the steps were a little challenging for me. . . . .but I made it (a personal victory).


Once at the top, the views were worth it. Made me feel like we were in North Carolina, where we'll be headed in a couple more weeks. . . . .I can't WAIT!!

And of course here we are in one of our self portraits. Good thing I have long arms. We have a LOT of these kind of pictures.

Stay tuned for more details on the trip. . . . .the hike at Stone Mountain (which is indeed one big STONE). . . . .the shopping sprees. . . . . and the "night out".

While it's always good to be home again, Tuesday held PILES of catch up work for me. But I still managed to take advantage of the nice weather (since it will soon be gone again) and get outside for a nice long ride. I'm sure ready for Spring now!

Better weather?

Tommorrow I leave in search for better weather, which sounds good to me. . . . .although I hear nicer temps are on their way for Wisconsin. Hopefully they will stick around for a while now.

Murphy's law always proves itself before one goes on "vacation". Things tend to go nuts. . . . .the "shit hits the fan". . . . . .the world's problems fall in your lap waiting to be solved. Of course this vacation is no exception. Such is life I guess.

I'll fix them.

FOR SALE!!

Well, my girl "Phoenix" is officially on the market.

She's a 2005 Trek Top Fuel 110, 17.5 frame. Click HERE to see her "measurements". For my "peeps" I'll cut you a deal. . . . .no paying sticker price for you. . . . . we'll make it sweeeeeeeet.

She's a BEAUTY! I wouldn't be parting with her if I didn't have a sweet new hook up. I've worked all the "bugs" out of her. . . .she doesn't even throw temper tantrums any more. . . .no worries of her launching you over the bars.

If you know anyone who's interested, let me know. She'll just be collecting dust now. . . . . .and she deserves SOOOOO much better than that. . . . . . . . .

One of those days. . . . .

It's just "one of those days".



You know. . . . .one of those days where you're on your way to work and you see a semi truck that says "Schaefer's Specialized Lubricants" and all you do is giggle and wonder what type of lubricants they have in a truck THAT big. . . . . . . . . . .

I know. . . . . . . .I need a vacation.

Don’t Wait: A Remembrance

Did you read this article? If you haven't, I highly suggest clicking on it and taking a couple minutes to read it.

I've been very lucky in my life in the fact that I haven't had to experience a lot loss around me. My family is small, my friends are healthy and I simply haven't had to deal with a lot of death. However, there is one person in particular who I thought of when I read this article. . . . .and although it's been over a year since he passed, I still think of him often. His name was Dave Stradtman.

Dave was one of THE most wonderful people this world had to offer. . . . .and there's not a person who knew him, who's life he didn't touch. He was the kind of person you don't forget, for people like him don't come into our world all that often anymore. He was kind and giving, charismatic, caring & gentle, and he had a way of making everyone laugh.

He died almost 1 full year after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was a slow and painful process. . . . .but he never lost his smile or his strength through it all. And even today, he continues to touch those who knew him.

It's true. . . . . .life is too short to wait. While we all hope we have many years left to do all the things we want to do. . . . .to tell the people we love how we really feel. . . . . .to see all the places we want to see. . . . . one never really knows how much time they have left.

Don't wait to live. . . . .start living today.

Don't leave this earth with your music still in you.

Tell your loved ones that you love them. Don't wait and hope that they "just know". You may be surprised to find out they really DON'T "just know".