MTB Girl

Missing you dad.

2010-04-15T08:13:00.000-05:00

This is the last picture that I have of my dad alive. Makes me wish I would have spent a little more time focusing on him that day (Easter 2009).

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of his death. Since most of the people I would have enjoyed the company of on this emotionally difficult day were working or busy. . . .I decided to embark on my own little journey for the day, get in touch with my feelings, remember the good times, etc.

So I packed my bike up and headed out to ride (of course).

This past year has brought a lot of different things to my life. Some good, some bad. . . . it's brought a lot of wonderful friends to the surface, and it's forced me to take a deeper look at my life and what it's missing.

I'm one of those people who look at the closed door for so long I miss out on the open window. I don't do it because i can't stand change. . . . . .I think I do it because i'm usually SO attached to that closed door that I can't even SEE the open window. I don't like that part of myself.

Many people in this world just shut everyone out. Then they don't have to worry about closed doors. I don't want to be like that. . . . . .but I feel like that's who I am becoming. Strange how little things affect us so much. How great loss can upset our whole "emotional balance". . . . have us wondering if certain things are really worth it.

I went to find peace and inspiration yesterday. Instead I found confusion and more questions. Questions to life. . . .questions there aren't really answers for. Confusion as to why I do the things I do. . . .why I am who I am. . . .why I can't be who I "WANT" to be ALL the time.

I guess a day of reflection does that to a person. :-)

Thinking about my dad today puts a smile on my face. It still puts tears in my eyes because I truly miss him. . . . .but I know he's in a better place. I will continue to strive and ltry to ook past the closed door. . . . .and find the open window. It's exactly what he would want, and it's what I need to do for him. . . .for me. . . . .and for those who love me.

Peace.

North Carolina

2010-04-05T08:08:00.000-05:00

One more trip to North Carolina under my belt. This year was a year without Bill, a year without group rides and a different year all around.

8 people braved the trip, and while we all stayed in the same house, we all did our own thing. That ended up being good for me becuase that meant people actually rode with me. It also meant our group of 4 had a lot of fun, lots of laughs, lots of exploring.

This past year of my life has been very different for me. Not having my dad has had me feeling a bit lost, especially during those times where I really need someone to talk to.

Changes in the real estate market have had my business doing it's ups and downs, while the last few months have had me working very hard for what will hopefully be fruitful months to come.

Changes in my personal life have been on-going. . . . .things that were once very important to me seem to need re-evaluating with respect to importance now. My life is built around others, I am on this earth to give to others, to enhance other's lives, to put other people ahead of myself. This is how I've been for 40 years. And over these past 40 years that train of thought has led to a lot of heart ache. Maybe it's time to change that way of thinking? Maybe my life should be a little more about ME and a little less about others. I probaly care TOO much anyway.

2010 will be a life changing year, that's for sure. I just have to figure out how to make that life change a GOOD change for myself.

One day at a time.

Spring is on the horizon

2010-03-03T07:33:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to get Spring fever big time. Being ALMOST over this sinus infection/cold that I've had for over 3 weeks has me wanting to get outside and RIDE!! With the "promise" of better temps this weekend, I'm hoping for a nice ride outside on Sunday, perhaps around 11:00 or 12:00. If anyone is interested, drop me an e-mail. The more the merrier!

In the mean time, let's hope for nice weather, sunshine and melting snow. It is March after all. . .. it's time to start thinking SPRING.

What is YOUR Spring plan?

Home Buyers Tax Credit

2010-03-01T07:34:00.000-06:00

Does everyone know about this?

You're running out of time to get your $8000 or $6500 credit. April 30th is the date to have an accepted offer by, June 30th is the date to have closed by. This credit applies to first time home buyers ($8000) as well as current home owners ($6500).

Check it out. If you're thinking about moving, now is a great time.

Killer Whales

2010-02-28T12:56:00.000-06:00

I don't care HOW trained I am, or how many years I've been working with Killer Whales. . . . . I think I'd be a little leary to get anywhere near such a massive animal - one that's been known to take lives before.

It's things like this that remind me of the frailty of our human existence. One day we're here, one day we're not. One day our loved ones are here, one day they're not. One day what we think and feel is "true" we find out maybe it is not. One day we come to realize things we see in our own future maybe are mearly "a dream" and not reality.

Life is precious. It changes every day whether you are ready or not. Whether you hold on tightly and pray for "no change", or whether you welcome change with open arms. . . . .change is inevitable. And the scary thing about change, and life in general, is that it's not really all about "YOU". What you want, your needs and desires, your thoughts and feelings, what makes you happy and whole. . . . none of this matters when a giant Killer Whale grabs your pony tail and pulls you under.

Life isn't about us. All we can do is live it to our best ability and hope for another day. . . . .a better day.

How Green Are We?

2010-02-01T07:26:00.002-06:00

What percentage of Americans participated in energy-saving activities within the past year?

Installed more energy-efficient light bulbs: 63%
Purchased energy-efficient appliances: 36%
Started paying bills online: 46%
Switched to paperless financial statements: 40%
Donated an electronic device for recycling: 41%
Swtiched from bottle to tap water: 29%
Installed a low-flow showerhead: 17%
Installed a low-flow toilet: 16%
Made home inprovements (e.g., windows, solar panels or insulation that provided government tax credits): 14%
Bought a more fuel-efficient car: 13%
None of these: 13%

Source: Harris interactive

What did you do?

Blogger Profile

2010-01-28T07:31:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've updated my blog. How sad. And I actually enjoy writing on my blog. I need to get back to taking more time to do the things that put a smile on my face again.

With that said, I found this Blogger Profile article interesting. It was in my real estate magazine this month, and was apparently pulled from the Technorati State of the Blogsphere 2009 report.

Two thirds of bloggers are male.
60% are 18-44 years old.
74% have a college degree, and 40 percent have a graduate degree.
One in three has an annual household income of $75,000 or higher, and one in four has an annual income of more than $100,000.
More than half ar married.
More than half are parents.
Half are employed full time.

Interesting. How about some "How Green Are We" statistics next time around?

Teaching is my passion (which is strange because I decided to change my major before finishing my education degree and instead came out with a sociology/psychology emphasis which is also a great interest of mine). And I really don't spend enough time "teaching". I've got to work on that.

Now if I just figure out how to incorporate my blog into my web page, I'll be able to go to ONE place to share information. Baby steps.

Quote of the day

2009-12-16T07:38:00.000-06:00

"Success is waking up in the morning and bounding out of bed because there's something out there that you love to do, that you believe in, that you're good at - something that's bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again."

-- Whit Hobbs

Quote of the day

2009-12-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

"Before a person can achieve the kind of life he wants, he must think, act, walk, talk and conduct himself in all of his affairs as would the person he wishes to become."

-- Zig Ziglar, Author

Interesting.

Comical

2009-12-13T08:08:00.000-06:00

P90X

2009-12-03T21:18:00.000-06:00

I didn't know what all the hype was about. Yeah, now I know. It's fun, it's demanding, it's draining and my ASS (as well as all my other muscles) hurts from it. 60 minute workouts that have you feeling like you're doing "just fine", not pushing it too hard or anything, until you can't get out of bed the next day. OUCH!

It's only been a couple weeks. . . .so we'll see how it does. But so far it's definitely keeping my attention and it has me looking forward to my workouts. Plus Tony Horton isn't too bad to look at either. . . . .

Getting the hang of it

2009-11-14T18:23:00.001-06:00

I'm getting better at "capturing" the pictures. . . . .today I found a number of good places to park myself at the Polska race to snap some sweet shots. I actually thought the pictures I took today turned out BETTER when I did the manual settings. Strange. :-)

While there were a few pictures that I really liked. . . . .I thought this one was pretty good.

And these two were fun.

And then there are a bunch of other fun ones. I'm working on uploading them to Flickr right now. Stay tuned!

Fun pictures

2009-11-14T07:55:00.000-06:00

Mushrooms are fun to take pictures of. Especially close up. They're really quite interesting.

This weekend I have to "retake" my pictures of water. . . . .I wasn't happy with them last week. We're supposed to be learning the different f/stops and shutter speeds, etc, depth of field, blah, blah, blah.

And this week's assignment is using different lenses. . . . I think. . . . .I should probably look back in my notes to make sure I do the correct thing.

TODAY I'll take some pics of the peeps at the cross race. That's always fun. Maybe I'll even live dangerously and take it off "auto".

Iceman Travels

2009-11-13T20:57:00.000-06:00

Good Times with Good People. . . . . and a giant pig.

Allison Dunlap

2009-11-12T07:46:00.000-06:00

It was pretty cool to be this close to "greatness" at the Iceman (yes, I took this picture). It was also interesting to see that she sat on this climb while many of the other riders stood. It was mostly interesting to me because I sit too. :-)

Halloween Pyramid

2009-11-11T07:27:00.000-06:00

Yup, we had to make a pyramid at Halloween. There were 3 people who hadn't been a part of one yet. . . .so you know ya GOTTA do it then.

We started Evan early. . . . he might as well get used to the crazy bikers.

Iceman Cometh 2009

2009-11-10T08:29:00.000-06:00

What a fun time. With 47 finishers in my age group, and ALL the women lined up at the start of my race, I was nervous as to how I would finish. My Friday wasn't exactly what I had hoped for. . . . .a derailure mechanical put me out of commission and I had to watch my teammates pre-ride while I did nothing. Not a good combo for my legs after the 9 hour ride. They needed some spinning. BUT, things happen, and it was what it was. . . . .so once they got their pre-ride in, we headed to the local bike shop to get me a new derailure. WHEW. Problem solved.

Saturday morning there was just a flurry of people preparing for the race. My understanding is they had a little issue with the lottery system, and because of that "boo boo" they ended up letting in nearly twice the participants. Warming up, you could definitely tell there were WAY more people than in years past.

When they gave us the "riders go", we rolled on out. Thankfully I lined up on the front line (I think Frankie Andreau gave me "the eyes", I must have looked fast). Immediately a group of roadie girls went to the front and darted back and forth as those "roadies" do. The lead out was a good mile or so of road, so these gals bumped up the pace a bit off the bat. I managed to hang on. . . . .then we hit the dirt. We went from 2 and 3 across to single file and I could see the lead girls forming a bit of a gap. I was on another gal's wheel and I felt my pace was pretty good, given the fact that I was in for a race much longer than I'm used to. I didn't need to use it all up right out of the gate.

I rode this gal's wheel for a while, until we started hitting some hills. Almost immediately we started catching the men and after the first couple hills I was able to pass the gal who I was riding with, along with another gal. That was about the only time in the race that I saw any other women. I believe ONE other woman passed me at some point mid-race. . . .but other than her, it was all me passing men. HUNDREDS of men. There were SO many men, I'd pass packs of 10 at a time. The interesting thing about that was these passes often required me to dart off the GOOD LINE into the sand, or the leaves, or just the harder part of the trail to get around. Talk about a race full of "intervals". Each time I'd do these large passes, I'd have to expend a large amount of energy just to get back to the "good line". I was hoping that energy expenditure wasn't going to catch up with me. One can always hope, right?

With about 7-8 miles left to go, I came upon "The Wall". The wall was a steep hill climb which leveled out and dumped into some very tight single track. At that moment, I did not know exactly what "the wall" was, I just knew for some reason there were about 100 riders stopped on this hill. . . .not moving. I thought someone was hurt and they stopped the race to clear them off the trail. Nope, it was just an astronomical amount of traffic dumping into single track. And when you dump 10 wide into single file, it causes a MASSIVE bottleneck. Talk about irritating. I literally stool STILL for a good 3-4 minutes. As we all waited our turn in this single track, we watched a NUMBER of riders decide that cutting the course was a "good" idea. WHAT THE HELL? Sure, it wasn't fun to wait for this bottleneck, and it wasn't fun knowing there were more people in front of me than in front of earlier waves, so my wait was going to be longer simply due to the sheer number of riders. . . . .but how does that give you the right to CHEAT? It doesn't. So I waited.

The last 7-8 miles were full of more passing, lots of screaming spectators, massive leg cramps and fatigue. I had to work my way around the remaining sport boys I was passing coming into the finish chute because they were so exhausted they were hardly moving. Finally when the chute got tight, I gave up passing and settled in behind them and rode it in for the finish.

I finished 3rd out of 47 in my age group. If I calcuated correctly, it looks like I took 8th out of 90 sport women. Fun times. I managed to hold an average heart rate of 180 for the 2:25 it took me to finish that race, DESPITE the 3-4 minute stand still. Pretty sweet. I'm VERY thankful for what I've achieved this season. . . .thankful for finally being able to "undo" what I did last year. . . .thankful I finally feel like "I don't suck". And I'm looking forward to a fantastic off season this winter. I have a lot to accomplish. :-)

Squirt. . . . ."The long lasting dry lube"

2009-10-27T07:10:00.002-05:00

'Nuff said.

Can you identify this Ninja?

2009-10-26T20:43:00.000-05:00

Wolf River Rendezvous

2009-10-06T07:51:00.001-05:00

What a fun race! We arrived Friday night a bit later than we had hoped for. . . .got held up in Oshkosh by a 3 car pile up, so that put us about 40 minutes behind schedule. As we pulled in Bear Paw Friday night, finding our camp site was tough. We scoped it out, realized with the way the current campers were arranged, there was no way we were backing into our spot. . . . .we dumped the "hotel on wheels" right in the turn around and set up shop. Perfect.

Saturday's preride was challenging. One lap took me about 36 minutes and I was hoofin' it pretty good. I figured I'd be looking at a bit longer of a race come Sunday, but that's ok. My lungs felt like they were on fire after the preride, my legs were tired and my body wondered how in the HELL I was going to get 3 good laps Sunday. But my mind wanted to go do another lap and focus on all that technical riding.

I wasn't sure how I felt Sunday, other than tired, but I knew it was a fun course so my plan was to just go ride. I lined up on the start line with a mere 8 other Brave sport women. We all had a little chuckle together, realizing we were all guaranteed a "Top 10" if we finished. What a great attitude these women have! :-)

Don said "GOOOOOOOOOOO" and I knew I should get up front. Climbing is my "thing" and I needed to be up front on that start hill. I also knew this course was built for me. . . .lots of slippery rocks and roots, lots of climbing. . . all my strong points. If I could keep myself up front and working HARD, I knew I would do pretty good.

We started catching the Sport boys before we even hit the first section of single track. They are always so nice to us. . . . .cheering us on, moving over, telling us what position we are in, making room for us when they know we can make a climb they can't. This is one of the reasons I LOVE Sport. And this race wasn't any different. We hit the first steep little climb in the single track and 3 Sport boys and one Sport girl got off their bikes, not being able to make the climb. Seeing me coming, they all parted the way for me to poke right up the hill past them. . . .I LOVE those technical climbs. That put me in second place. I hoped I could hold it. I knew the chances of me catching 1st were slim, but I was certainly going to give it my all.

Lap 2 felt good. It was tiring. . . .my legs were starting to feel all the climbing. A couple Sport boys went down on roots in front of me, I managed to avoid them. One by one I passed them and worked my way up. For the first time in a long time, I got to ride WITH some of the Sport boys. We seem to be opposites in our strengths. . . . .I'd gain time on them in the technical, climbing sections, they'd gain time on me in the open double track stretches. Back and forth I went with a few of them.

Lap 3 I was wondering how in the WORLD I was going to finish. My legs were SOOO fatigued. My breathing was extremely labored, all that climbing was really wearing on me. Each single track climb I would have to push a little harder to get myself through it. I kept telling myself "this is the last time through here". I knew I could ride every single section on that trail, so making a deal with myself to "walk if needed" was NOT an option. "Stay on the bike" my mind kept telling me. "You WILL finish". And I did.

Since there were only 9 of us, we were pretty spread out. The gal I usually battle with (Kate) had raced Saturday, so she was a little "compromised" on this course. I managed to finish in 2nd with a good gap on the 3rd place gal. My legs hurt so bad when I crossed the finish line I wasn't sure I'd get back to my camper. It was a wonderful feeling. Knowing I had once again pushed myself THAT hard and had THAT much fun doing it. Kind of sick really. :-)

I'll be signing up for that race again, that's for sure. And I'll hope for slick conditions next year. That's the perfect make up for me. Awesome.

Fall is here

2009-09-25T10:16:00.004-05:00

Yes, it appears fall is upon us. The leaves are changing, the weather isn't as "nice", cold, dreary days are upon us. . . . . .nature is slowly shedding it's life preparing to hunker down for a cold winter.

I find that fall is a great time for reflection. I don't always plan it that way. . . .but it seems these cooler dreary days have me thinking about life and what I want out of it.

Recently I've found a wealth of patience I had forgotten I had. It makes me sad to think I had to lose someone close to me to understand how insignificant certain things in life really are, but it makes me very thankful to come to this realization NOW, while I'm still "young", while I still have time to "slow down and enjoy life".

In the months since my dad has passed, I've been building up for a personal journey I feel I need embark on. This personal journey is nothing over the top. . . .it's just simple goal setting, looking at the rest of my life and deciding what makes me happy, what I want more of, and where I want to go.

I'm one of those fortunate people who truly understand I can attain just about anything in life I truly want if I focus, make a plan and give it 100%. The "problem" is that I'm not truly sure what I want to attain in life right now, therefore I seem to be merely "existing". The funny thing is, it seems MOST of the world just simply "exists", going to work, coming home, riding their bike (or doing whatever) for stress relief. . . . .but we're all capable of so much more. And at this point in my life. . . . .I'm ready to work for "more".

Now I just have to figure out what that "more" is. :-)

Lake Geneva

2009-09-14T14:31:00.002-05:00

Wow, what a race. That was freakin' hard!

As we lined up, I knew I was going to have to give it my all on that start hill to get a good position going into the single track. I was hoping my legs would cooperate as they were feeling very tired and flat during the warm up. Perhaps too much riding the day before. . . . maybe even too much loading the week before. Who knows. But I figured it was what it was, there wasn't anything I could do about it. I'd just try to ride my best and see what happened.

I tend to be strong on hills. . . .why I'm not really sure because they REALLY hurt, but I dug deep and got up front on the start climb. Went into the single track 2nd or 3rd. It was a good spot to be.

We caught up to the sport boys pretty quickly. . . . we actually caught some right before the dive down into the single track already. I figured that would be a bad course for traffic, but if it was bad for traffic for me, it was bad for everyone. I just hoped I could get a gap and hold on to it.

I got my wish in lap #1. I held my spot, rode relatively clean, although I stepped down that last set of rocks after the rock garden. I don't know WHAT my problem was, but that freaked me out every lap. Oh well, a few seconds lost stepping over something that could propel me into the cheap seats is a good few seconds to lose I guess.

Lap #2 I was still in a good spot heading up the start climb. I was hurting. . . .it was hot, I was sweating profusely, I could already tell I hadn't drank enough. I got yelled at by my easy up of peeps to drink so I tried to force it down on the second lap. Unfortunately, I think it was too late.

Going up the start climb to start lap #3 I could feel my energy drain. I knew I was in for a rough 3rd lap. I just hoped that I had gotten a large enough gap that I could hold my position - or close to it. Every hill felt like death. I was hyperventilating, seeing starts and not sure I'd be able to finish it I was hurting so bad. But somehow I found the strength to keep pushing on. I eased up a bit on purpose. . . .but mostly because I physically HAD to. I heard Sonia breathing down my back so I let her get around me. She had so much energy, there was NO way I was going to match that. Back and forth I went with Mariah. Last time through the rock garden I stepped over the last set of rocks - AGAIN - and Kate flew by. I gave it my all knowing I was nearing the end. I figured if I could make it to the end knowing I had given 100%, I would be happy.

And that's exactly what happened. I ended up 7th overall. Not so bad of a race, but not as good as I was hoping for considering I was in the top 3 or 4 for 2 laps. But I finished and I managed a win in my age group against some tough competition.

I wrestle with how much to put out there so early in the race. . . . . .and I wonder if a bit of conserving would have given me the "extra" I needed yesterday. But after a number of years of racing experience and getting to know my body and my strengths and weaknesses, I believe conserving wouldn't have helped me much. I seem to do the best when I put it all out there right up front. Sometimes I can hold on to that. . . .and sometimes there are just faster girls.

Today I feel like someone took me out to the bike rack and beat me to a pulp. My body hurts tremendously, I can't move my head my neck muscles are so tense and I've had a head ache all day. Mondays are usually not a lot of fun, especially a Monday after a race, but today, well, today takes the cake. Unproductive, low coping skills, lots of "pain". There's no question as to whether I gave my all yesterday or not. I gave it all, and then some. :-)

Epic Road Ride

2009-09-07T17:31:00.005-05:00

Well, it was epic for me. I took a trip up to Parnell Tower today.

I took the "scenic route". . . . .knowing it's something my dad would have done if he were still alive. So that one was for you dad. I did on my bicycle instead of in a mini cooper. . . . . .perhaps that will help keep ME around a little longer.

I could only make it up to the first landing before my "vertigo" got the best of me. Too bad as I bet the views from the top were/are spectacular. But I'm sure dad already knows that.

Today was a great day to be alive. :-)

Goals?

2009-09-07T07:44:00.003-05:00

"Long-range goals keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures."
-- J.C. Penney, Retailer

Hmmmm. I should probably get some long-range goals again. . . .

Quote

2009-09-06T11:38:00.000-05:00

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul."
-- Douglas MacArthur, General

Interesting.

Reforestation Ramble

2009-08-30T20:49:00.003-05:00

I had a great time today. . . . .probably the most fun I've had at a WORS race in a REALLY long time.

Don raced today, so we had a "fill in" to yell GOOOOOO. He gave us the "15 seconds" and then yelled GO without a countdown. I wasn't ready. I was waiting for the countdown. So I didn't have the best start. We hit the flat double track and I took the "crappy line" to try and pass as many gals as I could to get up to where I felt I should be. We turned the corner and settled into the single track. I was breathing pretty hard. Popping out of the single track I decided I'd better race my OWN race since it was going to be longer than usual and I didn't want to pop. So I get the fast girls go and settled in at a comfortable pace on my own.

I rode alone for a little bit, but then picked up another sport gal. . . .then we caught another sport gal and there was a small train of us. That didn't last long as we encountered a number of sport boys in the single track, one who so very nicely tried to move over to give the gal in front of me room to pass. . . . . but the pass wasn't successful as she hit something, went down and suddenly their two bikes were tangled together and she was announcing she thought she "re-broke her collarbone". Since there was nothing WE could do, she told us to go, so the other gal and I hammered on.

Toward the end of the first lap I thought I saw some gals ahead. . . . .sure enough, it was the "fast girls" I let go at the start. I was able to catch up to them and we formed a 5 person train. We rode nearly the whole last lap together and I discovered riding with others who are your speed is amazingly fun. We pushed each other, encouraged each other and really had a good time (I did at least). Passing the sport boys became easier. . . . .they would see the train of the 5 of us coming and move over. Then the elite boys started lapping us. The first set caught us in the single track so the 5 of us stopped together and pulled off the trail to let them by. The second set caught us on the double track, a few others in the single track again. . . . .each time we'd pull over together, managing to stay on each other's wheels.

In the last set of single track before you dumped out on the gravel double track (that ran parallel to the road) a couple other elite boys caught us. I was 4th in the train of 5, so myself and the gal behind me moved over to let them by. Unfortunately the gals ahead of us managed to let them pass without moving over and that was just enough to put the gap between us. We dumped out of that single track and I dropped the hammer. I could see the others, strung out ahead, on the fire road hauling a$$. We all knew we were SO close to the finish, and we knew we needed to give it everything we had.

The good news is "everything I had" managed to hold off the gal behind me, but it wasn't quite enough to catch the gals in front of me. So I finished pretty much right where I ran for most of the race. . . .7th overall. While I'm happy with that finish, I'm MOST happy that I got to ride with some really cool girls today, and I simply had a GOOD time. THAT felt good. After all, that's what racing is all about. :-)

Exciting Tuesday

2009-08-25T21:06:00.003-05:00

Today was quite the exciting day. After sorting through a few piles of work this morning I received a call from my Oshkosh peep, Aprilay (that's what we call her) stating she was contemplating ditching work early to do a mountain bike ride at one of our local trails. I had a mountain bike ride on "my plan" anyway. . . . .so we hooked up and headed out.

The sky looked like it was going to dump at any moment, but I figured as long as we didn't get hit by lightening, we'd be ok. It can rain pretty hard before you are soaked deep in the woods. We figured we'd be good to go. So off we went.

The first lap was rather uneventful. It felt very humid, but we kept it under control. I think my bike seat (height and saddle tilt) is finally right. My back was feeling not-so-bad. We stopped back at the truck before heading out on the third lap to stock up on beverages. The clouds seemed to be congregating to the north, so that was good.

Towards the end of lap 2 i had noticed my bike doing some strange things. I dropped my chain a couple times after hearing a little ticking noise. Almost like the chain was going to suck up. . . .but instead it dropped off. After careful examination of the the cassette and rings, everything appeared OK, we made some minor tweaks in shifting and set out on lap 3.

Part way into lap 3 I turned a corner to start a short steep climb putting the power to the pedals only to hear "TINK". Chain broke. Crap. Luckily Aprilay had a quick link so we pulled it out and started working. After a few minutes of trying to figure out what we were doing, running the chain the wrong way through the derailleur, a smack of the pedal to Brittany's shin and a TON of laughter we got the chain back on. Sweet. As I turned to start walking up the hill we were at the bottom of I froze in my tracks and whispered to Aprilay - "look at the trail!"

Ahead on the trail were 2 fawns with their mommy watching our whole escapade go down. They slowly moved closer and closer to us trying to figure out what the heck we were. They probably thought I was road kill I smelled so bad. . . . . .

It was the neatest thing to stand there and watch these creatures. So peaceful and calm. And to think, if I hadn't broken my chain we would have rode right past them and never experienced this wonderful moment.

Sometimes one has to stop and "smell the flowers". You can't go "race pace" all the time in life. . . . .or you're going to miss special things here and there. That's the lesson I learned today. :-)

Happy Memories

2009-08-21T07:32:00.003-05:00

I was just spending some time on this rainy morning reflecting on the joy my dad brought to my life while he was alive.

Although we didn't have much of a relationship while I was growing up, I'm quite thankful that we really got to know each other the last few years of his life. It's a little scary how alike we were. :-)

I found this picture this morning. . . . .at my sister's wedding, of the three of us.

I remember just watching him watching everyone else. He was definitely a "fade into the background" type of person. He didn't need the spotlight, didn't LIKE the spotlight actually. He liked to just blend in and observe. As I think about it, I guess I have those traits also. I have the gift of being able to fit into many different situations, mesh with all kinds of people. It's what makes Real Estate so good for me as a career I guess.

It's funny how it seems like the older I get, the more of his personality I seem to take on. I no longer need that center of attention, I no longer feel the need to make everyone laugh or to make everyone like me. I can sit and listen to everything else going on around me. . . . .watch everyone else, without feeling the need to make it all about me.

It really is true how age brings wisdom, peace and acceptance. The older I get, the more I learn about myself, the more comfortable I become with myself, my choices, my life. I believe I can thank my dad for a lot of these characteristics. Thanks Dad. :-)

Life is good.

Thunder

2009-08-20T07:49:00.001-05:00

My dog is such a boozer. I have no idea where she gets these habits from. . . . . . maybe the other dogs she hangs out with?

Boarder Battle

2009-08-18T07:06:00.004-05:00

After a LONG 5+ hour drive, we finally arrived in River Falls for the Boarder Battle. For a month we had been debating whether to make the trek up to the race or not. A few days prior we decided to go for it. I think we had mixed feelings on whether that was a good idea or not.

Bill had been having stomach issues for a couple days leaving him a bit depleted come Sunday. Stacked behind the MN boys he once again got a poor start having his race end up not being all that he had hoped.

I, on the other hand, had a great time. We woke up Sunday to very humid conditions. I thought i was screwed. My goals for the race were 1) to finish and NOT be carried off to the first aid tent and 2) to not finish last. Good goals considering I could hardly breathe.

I knew that start hill would be a problem. Last year, without a preferred start, I lined up at the back of the pack and had to run part of the hill when girls swerved in front of me and suddenly everyone was walking. I vowed for this to NOT happen this year. I don't walk anymore unless I have absolutely no choice (ie: if someone else takes that choice away from me or if I'm going to DIE). I got to the front of the pack and that's where I stayed for the most part.

(Thanks to Bill Nigh for the picture!)

LOTS of traffic on that course, I think almost more than Crystal Ridge. I spent so much time passing boys, SO many kind boys, many of whom would just pull over for me. While that's not necessary, it's greatly appreciated when you see your competition taking more aggressive passes and riding away from you because you're "kind". After all, Don does say "treat each other kind". I tend to take that to heart.

Despite the amount of traffic, I rode clean and I rode hard. I was quite excited to have Paula Liske pass me in the field on the second lap. I had stayed ahead of her that whole time. I kept her in my sights and somehow managed to keep the gap small, playing cat and mouse with her and one other gal.

Last lap I had the two of them in my sights. I could tell the gal just in front of me was wearing down. . . . .I had more left than she did. There wasn't a good place to get around. I figured if I could keep the gap small, we could sprint it out at the end. Then we hit more traffic. She got around, I did not. I saw her pull away I didn't see how I could catch her again, we were so close to the end. But the boys moved over for me, I put the hammer down and somehow I pulled it out to catch up to her and ride her wheel through the last stretch of single track. We came around the last corner, I saw the open stretch, I stood up and I hammered. I figured what did I have to lose? Either they were going to carry me out because I tried TOO hard or I was going to take her at the end. While I WAS hyperventilating at the end. . . . . .I pulled out the pass and crossed the finish line ahead of her. It felt awesome to have something left to give. And it felt awesome to finish on Paula's tail knowing how fast SHE is.

Great race, great times, great course, great fun. Another top 10 finish, second WI woman to finish. I'll take that. :-)

HOT, HOT, HOT

2009-08-09T20:10:00.002-05:00

Heat and humidity has never been good to me. . . . . .really, it's humidity that KILLS me. Today proved that theory right once again. This morning we hopped in the "old four-wheel drive sleigh" and headed on up to Sumiaco to ride. Lap #1 I swear I had already lost about a gallon of water in sweat. . . . .I thought I was drinking enough, but apparently throughout the course of my ride, this was not the case.

Lap #2 I went our harder on April's wheel trying to find/ride the WORS course. Lots of double track, so of course we rode that harder trying to GET to the single track. I spiked my heart rate, suddenly had great difficulty breathing and started feeling puky and extremely dizzy. I told April to go ahead. . . . I'd finish out on my own. I took it down a notch, but still felt very dizzy and suddenly my stomach was starting to hurt. A couple wrong turns, some back tracking, a cliff bar and some cliff shots later and I was finally back to the parking lot. Stomach was feeling a bit sour, but I didn't feel as dizzy, so I filled the water bottles and set out with a few peeps for a little more riding.

I led it out so the pace would be slow (I wanted/needed slow), but by the time I hit the single track I was already starting to feel nauseous again. I rode it out a bit, then decided to head it back in as I just felt zapped.

Back at the "fort", I could hardly get my sweaty gear off. I thought i was going to collapse, my stomach hurt like it hasn't hurt in a REALLLLY long time, and drinking anything added to my complete feeling that I was going to puke. I hate it when that happens.

A few hours later and my stomach is finally starting to return to normal. Even though I ate and drank throughout the afternoon, a quick step on the scale shows I lost at least 4 pounds riding today and of course my body fat was higher than normal. I guess my thought that I had drank enough was truly not the case. Classic dehydration. Rookie mistake I guess. When one sees THAT much sweat POURING off their body, there just can't be a good outcome.

At least I no longer need to curl into a little ball. . . . . .although I just had to stop typing because I had an extreme hamstring cramp. . . . . .crap. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.

Oh well. No one is perfect. Not even me. :-)

Crystal Ridge

2009-08-04T21:16:00.002-05:00

Lined up at the start not feeling so good. Figured I'd go for a hard ride and see what happened. Don yelled go and I put the hammer down. Thankfully putting myself into the red zone off the start is one of my strengths. I managed to get a good start going into the single track around 3rd or 4th. Unfortunately we encountered a LOT of traffic right away, so the lead I worked on off the start was blown.

I rode at an easy pace through the single track, dropped the hammer and tried to pass when I could. One boy at a time. Understanding exactly how those boys feel, the last thing I wanted to do was compromise their race. We're all out there to have fun. . . . .I'm in SPORT for crying out loud. I'm not getting paid for this, nor am I breaking any records. Sit and wait for a place to pass. . . .hope to not lose all the gap I earned. . . . hope to not lose the lead girls TOO badly.

I heard a couple gals behind me who usually are in front of me. We decided to work together to get around some of the boys and pull each other. It was fun to actually get to ride with others. . . .usually I'm pushing myself to my limits without help. We rode most of the first lap together, and a good part of the second lap together. These girls pushed me a little harder than I'm comfortable with in the single track which was awesome. It was fun to work together and ride beyond my limits. BUT, it caught up with me come the second switch back ski hill climb. I tried to stay on their wheels, but knew I needed to budget. We all reached the top relatively close together, but I started to fall back a bit as I tried to catch my breath. I yelled for them to go. . . .they kept cheering me on. . . . I knew I was toast. I'd lost a few more spots, but would still scrape a top 10 out.

On the way down the ski hill one of the girls hit some loose stuff and went down. I called out as I rode past her, she said go, she was fine. I knew I was close to the top 5. . . . .could I pull a strong finish out on that last climb?

The answer to that question was NO. She caught back up to me and passed me just before the climb, along with another one of my fellow sport gals. I tried my best, but had used it up and simply had nothing to answer them with. One was in my age class. . . . she took 1st in age. I'm happy for her finish, but wished I could have had a little more to answer her challenge with. Perhaps next time.

Overall, I'm relatively happy with my finish. Sure, I lost 3 spots in the last 2 minutes of the race, but I rode clean (except for that one stupid tree), I rode with some other "fast chicks", and I pushed myself when I needed to push. Top 10 is always a great place to finish. . . . especially when you know you're not where you'd like to be fitness wise. It's all good. One day at a time. :-)

Thanks for the race girls! It was actually a good time. I wish I would have seen Spicy. . . . .but that girl is too freakin' fast for me. I hate that. :-)

Birthday Shout Out

2009-08-01T20:17:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Becky!!

Something to remember

2009-07-30T07:13:00.002-05:00

"No matter how bad someone has it, there are others who have it worse. Remembering that makes life a lot easier and allows you to take pleasure in the blessings you have been given."

~ Lou Holtz

Unbelieveable

2009-07-29T20:50:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe the stupidity of so many drivers in today's world. Is it just that everyone is in such a hurry? Or is it because they hate cyclists so much? Or are people just too busy texting to notice a cyclist with the right of way in front of them?

In the past week someone has backed into one of my friends (thankfully going slowly, but causing some damage to her bike), another friend was taken out by a car resulting in several broken ribs, broken hip, torn aorta, multiple lacerations and surgery required, and I witnessed a car BARELY stop short of running over a youth riding his bike across the cross walk when he had the walk signal.

Un-freaking-believeable.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to our friend Michael. He's down at Froedert for the time being. . . .had surgery to put a rod in his leg last night and patch him up. I'm told the driver was issued a citation. . . . .but that hardly seems like enough as Michael will be sitting in the hospital for a while.

Pay attention people. Seriously. How long does it take to take a second look? You could just save some one's life.

2009-07-28T07:07:00.002-05:00

"Success comes from taking the hand you were dealt and using it to the very best of your ability".

~ Ty Boyd

My doctor reminded me of the fact that so much of our life is thanks to our genetics. He said it really sucks that one person has to work so much harder at something than the next person, simply because their parents passed on "good genes" to them. I can tell you first hand, yes, it does suck and it's unfair. But then life isn't really "fair" is it? :-)

"Genes" are the reason we're monitoring my future closely as well. Better safe than sorry. . . . .and better to pay attention to the "small signs" than think you're not at risk at all. So far, so good, now that "middle age" is creeping up on me.

Do you ever have those days?

2009-07-27T10:20:00.002-05:00

Do you ever have those days where you just feel like you can't do anything right? Where you feel like you can't be everything people want/need you to be, like you're letting others down, like there's not enough of you to go around? Those days where you feel so ignorant, so fragile, so out of touch?

I seem to be having more of those days lately. I look at those around me and feel like life is passing me by because I'm sitting back and waiting. What am I waiting for? I've never been one to live life for MYSELF, which is why I sometimes end up feeling over committed and tied to other's schedules, other's moods, etc. I drop what's important to ME at a moment's notice to be there for the people who are important to me, even though it's not "required" or even "asked" of me. Then I feel sad that others don't want to do this for me. I understand it's not fair to "expect" people to treat me the way I treat them. . .. .and I truly don't "blame" these people for living their own lives. . . . .but how do you undo 40 years of programming to put yourself first and not be disappointed when the people you care about aren't on the same level?

I stopped at my dad's house today to take some more pictures for the bank. I needed to check in on things and really start documenting my case for why this house is not going to sell for what the mortgage is on it. It felt really cold and empty. It gave me this very strange, empty feeling. It made me think deeply about my dad and about how now that he's gone so much has changed inside of ME. It seems strange to say that. . . . .but I'm carrying a tremendous amount of guilt around with regards to his passing and being inside that house only reminds me of what I could have done, should have done, while he was still alive. It has me looking inside my own life wondering what else there is to life. It has me missing these conversations that I would have with him.

I've always said there's two ways to deal with things. Either curl up and die, or come out fighting and change yourself, your attitude, whatever is necessary. I've always been inclined to do the second, understanding I am responsible for my own destiny and only I control my own happiness. But lately I feel like I've become the first type of person. . . . .where I'm not sure I have the energy or even the desire to change.

It's interesting that these little battles go on inside everyone, only most people don't talk about them much less put them out there for the world to read. Instead they go buy an expensive car/toy, start dating a younger woman/man, fill their lives with non-stop activities so they don't have to stop and "feel", etc. After all, we're all seeking something better out of life, aren't we? Only some of us have the courage (or stupidity, call it what you will) to put these thoughts out there for the world to see/read.

I have many things to be thankful for. . . . .don't get me wrong. And my life certainly isn't bad by any means. I'm just complex and complicated and every once in a while I stop to take a deep look inside myself. It's at those times I realize I tie a great deal of my OWN happiness to others and I simply don't understand why.

Interesting.

A quote to take to heart

2009-07-24T07:32:00.002-05:00

"Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end".

~Denis Waitley

Photos

2009-07-21T07:12:00.004-05:00

I'm very much enjoying my new camera. . . .sometimes I even enjoy taking pictures more than I enjoy racing.

I've uploaded the Sunburst Showdown pics on Flickr: CLICK HERE

I'm looking forward to spending my 40th birthday riding my mountain bike today. Just a low key day. There's been so much excitement lately, I need a down day to worry about "me".

Happy Tuesday everyone.

Interesting weekend

2009-07-19T20:41:00.008-05:00

It was quite a weekend this time around. With Kewaskum nearly a whole 5 minutes from our back door, we had the good fortune of sleeping in our own beds and having some time to do "other" things Saturday. Saturday afternoon we got home from running errands and suited up to ride our bikes over to the hill. Kiki (aka Niki) was one of our house guests for the weekend as her husband Skip had to stay home to help her slave driving brother do some home repairs. So Captain, Kiki and myself headed on over in the fall like conditions to get our pre-ride in.

For some reason I didn't find it odd that we weren't meeting up with anyone. I wasn't sure what any one's plans for pre-ride were. . . . but honestly I'm usually best doing a pre-ride on my own anyway (especially on a ski hill). . . . .so I just didn't think about it. I didn't even think about it when Kiki kept texting all the while we were at the ski hill. . . . .I figured she just missed Skip.

While I knew we were having people over for a combination b-day celebration for AnnTony and myself, I had no idea they were plotting to decorate the Nigh joint up to surprise me. Silly me. I arrived home from pre-ride to see a big Happy Birthday banner on the garage door, and balloons, party streamers and decorations galore awaiting me. Including one BIG Scooby Doo pinata. Sweet.

After a nice little celebration (of which I did not have to clean ANYTHING up - thank you everyone), we headed off to bed for some much needed rest to prep for the big Sunburst Showdown.

Sunday morning arrived much quicker than I would have liked. Lots of tossing and turning made the night less than optimal. Funny thing is, none of the strange dreams were even about the upcoming race. Interesting. I must finally be letting go of the outcome. :-)

Off to the ski hill, I knew my legs were tired. The boys say I'm still probably a bit fatigued due to all the riding I did at Levis. . . . . .I think I'm just not in as good of shape as I should be, definitely not in as good of shape as I have been in years past. . . . .whatever the reason, I made my goal to be able to finish all 3 laps without having to walk the hill. Seemed like a reasonable goal.

On the start line my head was swimming. . . . . .lots of thoughts about my dad flooded my mind. This was always the race he would come watch me at, since he just lived in Hartford. He'd always be so proud of me, all smiles when I saw him. I started to tear up a bit knowing he would not be at this race (at least in the physical sense). It was just about that time that Bill informed me my sister and her family had come to watch me. She always came with dad in past years. . . . . .to know she was out there, that she still came had me break down. Nearly BAWLING on the start line Don began call ups. I had to pull it together. Yikes I had hoped no one saw me wiping tears from under my Rudy Projects. Up to the line, I look over to see Heather (my sister) and I took a deep breath and waved. I could almost visualize my dad standing with her. It was a very powerful moment. Again trying not to cry I hear a group of my peeps yell "Happy Birthday Brittany" and now I'm laughing while I'm almost crying. Uuugh. I knew it was going to be a long race.

Off the start the girls seemed to move slowly. I worked up to the front of the pack, hoping to stay somewhere up there as I knew I could ride that whole start climb. A couple gals passed me and I settled in the top 10 as we turned for the bunny hill. Digging deep, I scooted up my saddle, dropped it in a smaller gear and spun up a few places, hoping to stay ON my bike. I almost got my wish. We met up with a few of the slower sport boys on the steep part of the climb going into the woods. I had to put a foot down so I wouldn't take anyone out, but then was able to quickly hop on my bike again. That was my smartest move as I managed to put a gap on many of the girls that ended up having to walk.

Every lap hurt a little more. . . . .coming to the end of the 2nd lap (after making a stupid move to pass a girl on the fast down hill - thank goodness I didn't hit a rut as I'm sure I would have been in the ambulance then), I was really feeling the pain (you can see it in my face!).

I saw my "rabbit" as Bill says (thanks Keith, you really kept me pushing), and I hoped I would be able to again, stay on my bike. Hitting the bunny hill for the 3rd time I made little bargains with myself. Bargains like "ok, just get pasts this one little climb and then it's sort of flat for a couple seconds and if you REALLY can't take it, you can get off then). Then I'd hit the next part and say "ok, you're that much closer to the top, you can rest in a few minutes, just hang in there". I'm really not sure how I made it through that last lap. I'm pretty sure I saw angels waiting to carry me away I was in so much pain. My body was starting to twinge, my sweating had stopped and goosebumps were taking over, my breathing was very ragged. . . . .but I reminded myself I was ALIVE and my dad was watching me from where ever he was. As much as it hurt, I couldn't walk and I had to give it 110%. For him. That's what carried me to the end. That and knowing there would be ice cold water waiting as well. :-)

Already tonight I feel like a piece of crap, every muscle in my body hurts like hell and I'm dreading what tomorrow is going to bring. Maybe I'll be surprised and wake up feeling like a million bucks! You never know. It can happen. :-) I'm hopeful.

Feelin' kind of lost

2009-07-15T10:45:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling kind of lost lately. I'm not sure why. I don't know if it's because I have a milestone birthday coming up and it's making me contemplate life? Or if it's because some of the relationships I rely most on in my life aren't what they used to be or what I feel I "need" them to be? Or if it's because I'm not where I thought I would be in life when I hit 40, but when I stop to think about that. . . .I'm not really sure where I thought I would be. Or if it's because I'm missing my dad, thinking about him every day, wishing I had more time to say the things that are in my heart.

Maybe it's a combination of all of these things. Whatever it is, I don't like it. I'm not a weak, lost, person. . . . .but yet lately this is who I am.

Maybe I just need some more recovery. Yeah, that's it. Rest and recovery. Ahhhh. Mental well-being here I come.

Hopefully.

Quote

2009-07-14T07:21:00.003-05:00

"Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it."

-- Brian Tracy, Speaker, Author, Consultant

I like this quote. :-)

It's what I've been trying to do since my dad died. . . . .whether I realize it or not. Some days I REALLY miss him.

Back from vacation

2009-07-12T17:48:00.003-05:00

We're back from vacation, almost unpacked, and have the second load of laundry in. Seems we went through quite a few towels and sheets with people coming and going from the "hotel on wheels" this week.

Vacation started off at Eau Claire. We rolled in, set up camp and kicked our feet up. Saturday I did a bit longer pre-ride than usual (like 3 times longer), but was having such fun on the bike, I didn't want to stop. Sunday's race went OK. Could have been better, but then it always could have been better unless you win, right? Eau Claire is notoriously bad for me with all the open double track. BUT I fared much better than in years past, and definitely much better than my elite race there last year (uuugh).

Sunday night we packed up the hotel on wheels and headed up to Levis for the week. Talk about fun riding. That place is the best. We rode every day, which is unusual for me. And I think by the time the WEMS race rolled around on Saturday I had hit just about every inch of that trail in at least one direction.

I had high hopes for the 3 hour WEMS race. But after putting the hammer down off the start, I realized 8 days in a row of riding with a race tacked on each end of that appears to be the max my body can handle at this point in my training. So I decided to keep it under control, back it off a few notches, and have a fun 3 hour ride. And that's exactly what it was. My first 2 laps were within seconds of each other (which is awesome considering I typically run out of steam by 1:40) and the last lap was only a couple minutes longer. I rode all the "scary" stuff, rode clean, rode smart, and had a blast. There were a bunch of faster girls, so I didn't place too well. . . . .but I was happy with my consistency and my technical abilities.

Now it's back to the real world. We'll bake some chicken garlic Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner, catch up on the tour and relax. Then the madness of catch up and fitting back into the real world begins tomorrow. Yuck.

Meltdown

2009-07-01T16:40:00.003-05:00

I seem to be having a bit of a personal melt down today. I do believe I am in desperate need of a vacation.

While the real estate market isn't as bad as everyone says it is. . . .I'm behind on my closings for the year. I seem to be spending a lot of time with buyers and sellers and having not a lot happen. That happens some times, but it's frustrating when you're working like a dog and don't see a pay check. Commissioned sales isn't all it's cracked up to be at times.

On the bike front, I'm enjoying my new ride, but I am a bit frustrated with Trek. First of all, I am very thankful that I was given the frame I was given as a warranty. I understand it was a significant step up from what I had, and I'm thankful to have fallen into that gift. However, it isn't my fault they didn't have something to replace what broke. I guess this is the reason it took almost 6 weeks to GET a frame. . . . which really sucks. I'm told my case has caused them to take a good look at their warranty system in order to improve it going forward. I'm truly not one to be a big complainer, but this is a good thing for them. Six weeks to get a new bike is unacceptable in my book. . . no matter how great the upgrade is. Had I not had a friend who HAPPENED to have a bike my size collecting dust. . . I would have been sitting SIX WEEKS without a mountain bike. Hmmmm, that doesn't seem to be the best customer service if you ask me.

While my shop worked diligently at getting this issue rectified, when the new frame DID come, it did NOT come complete. Of course several more items needed to be ordered. . . .shipped. . . then assembled. And I'm STILL waiting for a front derailleur. I have a borrowed on one now, which "works", however it requires a couple shifts, some soft pedaling and some gentle shifting to get into the big ring. Not really what I want to be thinking about during a race.

I guess I should just be happy I have a bike, even if it has been a 6 week headache (which still hasn't come to a close).

On top of that, Thunder's blood tests did indeed come back high for her Lyme's disease. . . . .so now we're starting treatment on that. I gave her her first dose of antibiotics tonight. now I'm supposed to watch to see if they make her ill. Gosh I hope they don't. I don't really have the patience to be dealing with that crap right now. If she doesn't get sick I have to go to the PEOPLE pharmacy to get her actual prescription. Yeah, and you people with kids think us people with dogs have it easy? I'd venture to say no. Thunder is about as human as they come.

And those are just the issues I can talk about for the world to see. There are even more under the surface. Time to suppress and deny again. Seems to work for me at times. Keep so busy you forget there ARE issues. It's the human way.

Well, it's almost 5pm. I say that means it's time to have a drink. Heaven knows I sure need one today. Uuugh. Vacation can't get here SOON ENOUGH.

I love Lance's new commercial.

2009-06-30T06:51:00.004-05:00

Demand Media Video -- powered by demandmedia.com

Because he's right. Who cares what anyone else thinks? We do what we love because we love it. In his case doing what he loves to do helps find a cure for cancer. How awesome is that? So say what you will. It doesn't matter. I still think he's an awesome athlete, a superior cyclist, a great ambassador for life.

And they say CHILDREN are expensive

2009-06-29T19:57:00.003-05:00

Four HUNDRED some dollars later. . . . . .

And the vet doesn't think her recent "lathargy" is due to her Lyme's disease. That was $400 I would have liked to have spent differently. Oh well. Hopefully we won't need to worry about that anymore.

Here it is!

2009-06-27T17:47:00.003-05:00

Isn't it a beaut? :-)

I'm told it's "a boy". Still working on the name.

Already falling in love with it after it's maiden voyage at Suamico today. Sweet.

Celebrate Life

2009-06-26T08:52:00.003-05:00

I think it's sad that we wait until some one's GONE to celebrate their lives. Shouldn't every day of life be a celebration?

Life is too BUSY now-a-days. Too much rushing around, too much work, too much TO DO. Why not take a break and call that old friend you haven't talked to in a while. Say "hello!". Go out for drinks with the girls or the guys or the work crew. Take some "ME" time, some time to do something that puts a smile on YOUR face.

Make that "bucket list", start crossing things off. If we wait until "the right time" for these things, they'll never happen.

Life is too short, to precious, to fragile. Don't make plans and cancel on your friends. . . . .you might not have that opportunity again. Don't forget to hug your dad (or your mom, your sister or brother) and tell them you love them. You might not have that chance tomorrow. If you miss that chance you'll forever regret not having "the time" to let that person know you care.

If it's a bike ride with friends that puts a smile on your face. . . .DO IT! If it's sitting on your butt on the couch that puts that smile there, then do that. Find what brings that balance, that smile to your heart, that happiness in your soul. . . . .and JUST DO IT.

You might not have that chance tomorrow. Seize the day. "Saisir le jour".

Crap

2009-06-24T17:56:00.004-05:00

Well, the new bike won't be ready for it's maiden voyage until the weekend now. The shop will have it done tomorrow, but I won't be able to get it fit until Thursday night or Friday. With my schedule the way it is. . . that means I'll have to wait until Saturday. I'm tempted to just take it and ride it. . . . .but knowing what a back ache I got from the little changes on Anthony's bike, I should proably just have patience.

I've ridden my road bike twice this week. . . .and honestly, I'm sick of it already. I'm just not made for the road. I'm made for the dirt. Can I force myself out on it ONE MORE DAY this week? Uuugh.

These temps are KILLING me. I've had a stomach ache since Sunday, almost passed out on my road ride yesterday and basically I just feel plain miserable. T-Dog feels my pain.

She's going stir crazy not being able to go outside and play sticks, poor girl. It's all intervals here at the Nigh house. Play a little, rest a little. Work a little, rest a little. I hope things get better soon. I'm so tired of feeling crappy.

2009-06-24T07:27:00.002-05:00

I wonder how many people will need to be hauled off today during this race?

With 90 degree temps expected again today and a heat and air quality advisory awaiting us. . . I'll be staying inside today thank you.

Went for a road ride

2009-06-23T21:06:00.002-05:00

It sucked. I'm not sure how I didn't spontaneously combust. My wing man had to bring me home cuz I was seeing stars and thought I was going to puke. My stomach hurt so bad, nausea setting in. Why? Who knows. Thunder ate my heart rate monitor Saturday. . . . .so I have no idea where my heart rate was, but it wasn't high enough to cause me to feel so bad.

Maybe the next ride will be better. Sure, it has to be. It can't be any worse, right? :-)

Uploaded pics

2009-06-22T20:38:00.003-05:00

It took forever. . . .and some of them suck. . . .but there are some good ones too.

CLICK HERE

Enjoy! Feel free to download what you'd like.

Mt Morris

2009-06-22T12:49:00.005-05:00

I'm not going to lie. That race was hard. REALLY, REALLY hard. I do have to say the sport course was a TON better than last year. We didn't have to climb ALL the way to the top so there was a bit of breathing room, a tiny bit of time to recover.

There was a low turn out of sport girls - who can blame them, last year was nearly impossible. So my finish ended up not so bad. Most of the girls who finish above me chose not to come, I guess that worked out OK for me.

While I literally saw stars several times throughout the race, I was very proud to say I finished. THAT was my goal for Mt Morris. To finish. Goal accomplished. My average heart rate was 186 for that course, almost 10 beats higher than my first 2 WORS races this year. I thought I was going to be joining my dad during that race it hurt so bad. I guess he didn't want me up there yet. Probably a good thing. I'm really not quite ready.

My new bike will be ready by the end of the week. . . . .we'll see how that treats me. I wish I could be on it tomorrow. . . . but I'm happy I'll be on it SOON.

Not a big snake fan

2009-06-19T15:29:00.001-05:00

I'm not a big snake fan, but it was neat to see this little guy sunning himself by my strawberries the other day. Summer MUST be here!

How the day shaped up

2009-06-17T21:36:00.002-05:00

I got eaten by mosquito's, but I got some strawberries picked. I hope to find time to make something delicious with them for the weekend. We'll see.

I was so focused today I even got the lawn mowed. Good thing. . . .we were almost in need of a goat. Now it can rain tomorrow (if it must) and I don't have to worry.

I managed a short road ride today. . . .sadly my body felt like crap. All my rides have been feeling awful lately. It's not like I have the excuse of being over trained. . . .I think I just don't have any fitness. I feel like I'm back in that boat where I can get ONE good ride, but then I'm so far down on the fitness chain that it takes me a whole WEEK to recover. Every time I try to ride hard it feels like crap, I'm slow, my legs fill up with acid right away and my heart rate doesn't respond. How did I let this happen? It's going to take me the WHOLE season to have ANY good races at this rate. Oh well. It's too late to cry about it now. I might as well try and enjoy the ride. Maybe I'll be in shape come Cyclocross season. Yuck. :-)

Rainy Wednesday morning

2009-06-17T07:26:00.004-05:00

This is just what I need this morning. Some rain.

We took dad's car down to Car Max yesterday. . . . I highly recommend them if you're in a jam. The whole process was quite easy and quick. I understand they scored a pretty good sale from us, but we actually got what I was hoping we would get and now we have one LESS thing to worry about. We just need something to happen on the house now.

The rain this morning will allow me to get caught up on all the paperwork I've got awaiting me. One more relocation listing to finish, a new listing to process and a BPO to do as well (that's kind of like a mini-appraisal). I doubt I'll get that all done this morning. . . .before I go to my "other job", but I should get a good start.

This way when the sun pops out later today, I'll be READY for it. If all goes as planned, I should be able to squeak a road ride in there this afternoon. Maybe I'll even have time to pick some of the delicious strawberries from our "garden" (if you want to call it a garden).

Tomorrow the car goes

2009-06-15T20:22:00.002-05:00

It was dad's toy. Unfortunately he still had a loan on it, and of course we found out that loan is NOT covered by his "insurance" he had been paying for. That stopped about a week after his 70th birthday. He died about 3 weeks after his 70th birthday. So someone has to make the payments for the car (which we are now apparently 3 months delinquent for) or it has to go. I loved my dad and appreciated his love for his mini. . . . .but don't want a mini.

It's 2 months after his death and it still feels weird. I keep waiting for him to call me to go for coffee, drop me an e-mail to harass me for not updating my blog (he was my biggest fan). . .but then I realize that I'll never have the opportunity to talk to him again. I won't get to hug him this father's day and make sure he knows that I love him. I just have to hope that he left this world knowing what I seemed to be too busy to tell him often enough while I had the chance.

I hope whomever ends up with his mini loves it as much as he did.

I really miss him.

So much to catch up on!

2009-06-12T07:14:00.003-05:00

First of all, a birthday shout out to Lori, who's birthday was yesterday.

Yesterday I found the perfect balance. I found time for some organization in the morning. . . . .started going through all my dad's things that have piled up in my front room. I sorted things into an E-Bay pile, an electronics pile (still need to sort through that), a junk pile and a pile of important papers to file. I've almost got those all sorted out. . . .it's unbelievable how much STUFF there is. Of course my office is even MORE of a disaster now, but at least the rest of my house is starting to become MY HOUSE again. I'm not a neat freak, but I HATE being completely disorganized. It overwhelms me, makes me irritated and eventually depresses me. Strange.

Anyway, after some much needed organization I set off for the office. I put a few hours in there preparing for a couple relocation markets I have on Monday. I enjoy working with transferees, but the paperwork that comes with that business is ridiculous. A relocation appointment takes me probably a full day to prepare for. A good 8 hours of research & paperwork completion. And the sad thing is, all that work doesn't guarantee a listing. Every "relo" listing appointment I'm in direct competition with at least 1 other agent. And while I put a great deal of research into my markets (pricing a home correctly is everything now-a-days), I've lost several of these listings lately to agents who overpriced the home. Sometimes sellers don't understand it doesn't matter where you price it. . . . .YOU don't set the price, the buyer does. So go ahead and list with the agent who overprices your listing because it's what they know you want to hear. I'll be there to help you in 6 months when you realize I was right in the first place.

To round out the day yesterday I took fellow team member "Massage Becky" on her SECOND mountain bike ride ever. We headed out to Greenbush.

I went a bit early and got a 7 mile loop in with Thunder (man that dog can run). She's tired today. :-) Then I did another small loop (loops 1 & 2) on my own while I waited for Becky to arrive. I then took her out for another big loop. On only her second mtb ride ever, she did awesome. Only a few minor tip overs. . . nothing major. I wish I would have picked up SKEELZ as fast as she is picking them up. Maybe if I had had someone to HELP me when I was first learning I'd be ahead of the game. Instead I taught myself, which meant 3-4 years of continuous falling for Brittany. Looking back that wasn't the worst thing. Now-a-days I'm REALLY good at NOT falling. Too funny.

Wausau

2009-06-10T07:31:00.012-05:00

Overall a fun weekend. We kicked it off by celebrating Bill's birthday Friday night with a little cake and a happy birthday song.

Thunder got Daddy some tennis balls. She was very excited to have him open them.

Saturday afternoon we returned to the camper after a short trip to town to find the hotel on wheels all decked out for Bill's big "40". Surprise!

Our good friend Bubbles even made some wonderful place mats and coasters for the occasion.

Then we decided to see how many people we could get in the hotel on wheels for a birthday celebration. 13 seemed to fit rather easily.

Lots of cake!! And we discovered CAKE is Captain's secret weapon.

Saturday night cake seemed to create Sunday success for Billy.

As for me. . . . .well, "good racing" just isn't happening lately. I hope to rectify that issue with the arrival of my new frame in the very near future. Getting MY bike back together and set for me, exactly the way I like it will hopefully give me the motivation I need to get back to some regular training and find my fitness again. That and some decent weather wouldn't hurt. It's tough to want to get on my bike when it's in the 50's and dreary or overcast every day.

It's ok. Sooner or later I'll find the motivation to "be all that I can be" again. Until then I'll just enjoy the ride of life.

Belated birthday shout out

2009-06-08T07:13:00.003-05:00

I got so busy packing Friday I completely forgot to do a birthday shout out to Bill!

Sorry Bill. Hope the bit "40" was awesome. :-)

Death

2009-05-28T13:31:00.003-05:00

Death leaves a mess. I'll tell you that much. Over a month and a half later and we're still sorting through my dad's estate, trying to figure out what's what, who's owed what, what's left, etc. A couple weeks ago we were surprised to find out the life insurance policy he had taken out on his vehicle expired upon the last day of the month in which his 70th birthday occurred. He turned 70 March 26th, died April 14th. No life insurance on the car. . . no inheritance. . . instead we now have a $15,000 car loan to pay off (or surrender the car).

The house is listed,

Follow this link to see the page:

http://public.mlswis.com/link.html?ordk9c8xbba,,1

(This link will no longer be available after 6/27/2009.)

So if you know of anyone looking to score a home in Hartford WAY below assessed value to "flip", let me know. It will be a short sale. . . . hopefully the bank will be able to work with us.

My house is still FULL of his things, there is no organization nor time to organize (or so it seems). Now that the 12 hour race is over. . . perhaps I can find some balance to start getting things back in order and put myself fully into my real estate again. That and I'd sure love to find the time to start training again. . . . .if this stupid COLD would ever go away, and the weather would cooperate. One day at a time I guess. What else is a person to do?

Photos

2009-05-25T20:16:00.003-05:00

I'm new at this. . . . and I have now upgraded so I can post the larger file size. So if you see a picture here and you want the larger file, just e-mail me at Brittany@BrittanyNigh.com and I'll send it to you.

Enjoy!

12 Hours of Northern Kettles Pictures

Thanks also to Ric Damm, who has some additional photos to enjoy.

DONE

2009-05-24T22:07:00.002-05:00

With the 12 hours of Northern Kettles finally behind us, I hope to begin to return to a "Normal" life somewhat soon. The weekend, while fun, was LONG. Bill and I began our "long ours" Thursday as we made the trek up to Greenbush to drop the first load off at the camp ground. Most people don't see all the behind the scenes work. . .although many realize what it takes to put an event like this on and I've been personally thanked by a number of people. The truth is it wouldn't be a successful event without all the volunteer help from our wonderful team members (and friends and family of our team members), nor would it be a success without all the awesome participants that came to race!

Despite the fact we DID indeed see a short burst of showers (maybe an hour, two tops), the trail held up well. In fact, despite one or two quite slippery laps, the course actually improved over it's original state by the end of the race. Loop 3 is already quite a bit smoother than it was Friday. The loose corners tightened up and the trail is ready to rock and roll once again.

Thanks to everyone for joining us for the 12 hours of Northern Kettles. I made an attempt (with my new camera) to catch some action shots of our racers throughout the day. While I'm still learning, so some are blurry (sorry), I hope to be able to continue to post BETTER pictures as I learn more. Of course I'm trying to post theses pictures to Flickr when I'm about to fall asleep, and of course I've exceeded the file limit. . . .so I guess I'll upgrade my account tomorrow. Stay tuned for some good, and not so good pictures.

How does that happen

2009-05-18T06:57:00.003-05:00

I don't know how it happens. I left Iola listed as 10th overall, today I am 11th. Strange. Only 30 sport women. Seemed like more.

Oh well. The first race is under my belt. . . . .and my life has hopefully eased a bit in stress & busyness (at least after this weekend it will have), which means hopefully we can get back to some serious training in the very near future. :-) We'll see.

THAT was hard

2009-05-17T21:39:00.002-05:00

That was hard. I knew it was going to be hard. . . . .but WORS race #1 was very hard. My goals going into this race were 1) to finish. 2) to NOT finish last. 3) to not have to get off my bike. 4) to hopefully not get lapped by TOO many sport boys.

I achieved all those goals. I finished 10th overall (3rd in age), as for stats, I'm not sure. . . .I only took the time to look briefly at my finish. I did touch a foot down twice (once so as to avoid face planting, once because too many sport girls tried to ride through the sand at the same time). I got lapped by 2 sport boys - the first probably a good 20 minutes before the second. And I dragged my butt across the finish line in one piece.

From what I can tell by peeking at my watch each lap, I was relatively consistent with my lap times. And every SECOND out there hurt like hell. It's funny. I often surprise myself with the amount of pain I can actually tolerate. It's not that I'm really much faster than any of the girls who finished around me. . . . I can just put myself into the hurt locker better, that's all. Anyone riding (or standing for that matter) anywhere NEAR me could CLEARLY hear me gasping for breath. A few times I literally saw spots I was working so hard. But the whole time I kept telling myself, I have to give it everything I've got. No matter how much it hurts I have to push on and keep trying becuase I CAN. I'm alive, I'm able and I owe myself at least that much. If I'm going to do it, I'm going to give it 110%. That's my new motto. And at THIS race, it worked for me. It hurt. . . . .A LOT. . . . . but I'm still here to tell about it.

Now it's time to focus on our OWN 12 hour race at Greenbush. Time to give back to the cycling community and bring them (you guys) a race you'll thoroughly enjoy.

Biggest Loser

2009-05-12T22:16:00.002-05:00

Honestly? I do not think Helen looks healthy. It's awesome to see such dedication (even though the woman sent her own child home so SHE could stay for her OWN benefit), but I have doubts she'll remain nearly as thin as she is. I've been there. Unless you're chronically thing. . . . . never having had to deal with weight issues, you just don't stay looking like Helen unless you starve yourself and work out like crazy.

Now my OWN dedication on the other hand. . . . .it's focused in an area definitely different than cycling. With our team 12 hour just around the corner, my dad's house still not completely cleaned out, and more real estate business than I've had for a while. . . . .there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to get in the amount of training it will take me to "shine" this season.

And I guess having undergone the life's events I've gone through recently, I can honestly say it doesn't matter. I'll ride my bike when I can and hope for the best. Mountain biking is awesome, but some things in life are just more important.

See you at Iola. I'll be the one gasping for breath out there. But I'll be there giving it my all, because I know that's what my dad would have expected from me, what he would have wanted me to be doing.

Motivation

2009-05-01T07:00:00.002-05:00

Well, I had planned to MAKE time today for a ride, even if it's a short one. But looking outside, and listening to the weather for the day, I'm finding it difficult to want to get my butt out to exercise.

Where is the sunshine? Sunshine and warm temps make it SOOOO much easier to WANT to be outside exercising.

I guess we'll see how the day goes. At least I know I'm golden on Sunday. . . .I have a date to ride. Sweet.

Time flies

2009-04-29T07:50:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's already almost MAY. The past couple weeks have been focused on trying to get things in order with my dad's house, my dad's belongings, making sense of his financials, etc. It's also got Bill and I thinking about OUR lives, wanting to make sure WE have a will, something in place so that no one has to try and figure out what we wanted if we were to pass together.

My dad didn't have a will. He didn't have anything that indicated what his last wishes were, he didn't have any paperwork organized so we would even know what he was leaving behind. . . . .I spent an entire week just chasing after expired life insurance policies that were found, calling various businesses to see if he had open accounts there, calling banks to see where he had checking/savings accounts set up etc, etc, etc. It's been a complete mess trying to figure out his "estate". But I've realized that I'm apparently a good "crisis" person. I've been able to focus and somehow find time to continue my full time real estate "job" and spend nearly every waking moment left sorting through his matters. Of course time for riding has gone by the wayside (you're in luck Sport girls, it should be pretty easy to kick my bootie this year), but I'm hoping to find time to ride again soon (hopefully this week).

It's never fun (or comfortable) for the tables to flip, for the "child" to become "the parent", "the planner, the one who takes care of everything", but someone has to do it so it might as well be me. God apparently has given me certain gifts. . . . perhaps this is why.

Life will be different going forward. A little empty without Dad in it, but more focused on happiness and peacefulness. I have again found patience. I think that was dad's wish for me. Heaven knows I certainly needed to find that again. Thanks Dad. Although you could have helped me find it under BETTER circumstances. :-)

Every cloud has a silver lining

2009-04-21T07:29:00.002-05:00

It's been exactly one week since my dad peacefully collapsed on his bed and breathed his last breath. So much has happened in this week. Lots of pain and sorrow, lots of sadness. Not only did I lose someone I dearly loved, but my dog, Bear, who had been a part of my life for 16 years passed on as well. It's been a week of loss, a week of pain.

But as sad as I am for myself, I'm actually peaceful in knowing that these two things I loved are both in a better place. They are free of pain. They are free of burden. They are at peace and in a better place. I realize everyone has their own view on religion, in fact my father and I even differed in our own personal views. However I know in my heart that there is something else out there, something better than this earthly world where there is so much pain and suffering. It's a place of peace, acceptance, comfort, joy.

This past week has shown me that there are SOOOOOO many wonderful people in my life, so many wonderful people who knew and cared about my dad. . . . who thought he was an amazing person, who enjoyed his company, laughed at his jokes, were touched by his generosity. This is the silver lining. Going through the motions of a funeral, wondering HOW you are going to get through this difficult process. Finding this sense of peace as each of these awesome people connected to the person you love hugs you, reaches out and touches you, tells you how much YOUR loved one made a difference in THEIR life. How much your dad loved YOU, how much he talked about YOU, how proud he were of YOU, how sorry they are for your loss. Knowing there is a hole in their heart as well.

I'm learning through this process that each day truly is a gift, a "present". Never assume you'll be able to give that hug tomorrow, because you may not be entitled to a tomorrow. Tell the people you love how you feel TODAY. Seize the moment, life each day to it's fullest, be thankful for what you HAVE, don't fret over what you don't have or what you think you should have or even what you want to have.

"In acceptance there is peace". Accepting something doesn't necessarily mean we agree with it, we welcome it or we're HAPPY with it. . . .it just means it's a fact of life and we understand that. There's a bigger plan, who am I to question that plan? There are so many mysteries in this life, so many questions. I'm thankful my dad now has all the answers. I just hope to find peace for myself and put a smile in his heart while he watches over me for the rest of my life.

Peace be with you all.

Good bye again

2009-04-18T07:05:00.003-05:00

What a week. Last night we lost Bear, our 16 year old Black Lab. She's been with us from the beginning. Healthy as a horse, went suddenly. Everyone thought she was going to live to be 100. Even when you know death is imminent. . . . .it STILL doesn't get any easier.

I sure hope that's it for now. My heavy heart cannot take any more.

Good bye Dad

2009-04-15T13:47:00.002-05:00

Good bye Dad. I will miss you more than you'll ever know.

John "Rafe" Dale
3/26/39 - 4/14/09

Easter

2009-04-13T07:46:00.005-05:00

Started with Easter celebrations Saturday. The theme, Hawaiian Luau (Thunder dressed accordingly).

Temps didn't cooperate for FEELING warm, but fun was had anyway. Andrew's first Easter egg hunt was ON, Grandma almost beat him by collecting eggs as well, but he pulled ahead and won in the end.

Later in the day the crowd shifted into the belated birthday celebration for Lt Dan. Theme still Hawaiian Luau. Chicken shish-ka-bobs for dinner, Sing Star (uuugh - sorry everyone), lots of conversations here and there.

Sunday was Family Easter for the Nighs/Sprungs. Another Easter egg hunt (it's harder to find 6 eggs in a rec room than one would think), lots of food, one minor catastrophe - nothing broken, one niece wearing nearly her whole glass of sparkling wine. One Easter pyramid made with 4 "pyramid virgins". Yes, I know some people are annoyed by my pyramids. If you're one of them, don't read my blog.

Glacial Blue

2009-04-09T21:27:00.001-05:00

Is beautiful. Trails are awesome. Can't wait to go back tomorrow. Maybe if Thunder plays her cards right, I'll take her back again. She LOVES to follow my wheel.

It's the little things

2009-04-07T07:46:00.002-05:00

I'm watching my German Shepherd chase a bottle cap around the kitchen like it's the best toy EVER.

Who need so spend money on expensive toys? Plastic works wonders.

Guess I should snag it now before she swallows it.

Dang puppies are just like children.

Some days

2009-04-06T21:19:00.000-05:00

Some days are SUCH a challenge.

Last minute trail work

2009-04-05T20:32:00.002-05:00

Couldn't decide what to do today, so we headed down to Blue and did some trail maintenance. I can't believe how great of shape the trails are in down there. Probably cuz we did all the raking in fall. :-)

There were several large trees down, so Bill hauled the chainsaw in and took them out of the way. Thunder chased sticks all over, helped put some back ON the trail, and guarded us against the very dangerous leaves. We also raked quite a bit, cleared off some more sections of trail so people can FIND it.

If the weather holds, I'll be testing the trail this week. Of course I have to go get my bike from the shop. . . . it seems to have a problem of some sort. With Pedal Fest going on, I know no one's had a chance to look at it. Oh well. . . I rode it like that in North Carolina, I'm sure i can't hurt anything more by riding it another day or two. :-)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for NO SNOW and a bit of sunshine this week. That would make for a most excellent week. I guess we'll see!

Belated b-day shout out

2009-03-30T18:49:00.001-05:00

I got SO freakin' busy yesterday I didn't have a chance to post a Happy Birthday shout out to Lt Dan.

Happy Belated birthday Lt Dan!

Wow

2009-03-27T17:32:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we went to DuPont State Forest. We had been there a few years ago and never found the "GOOD" trails. We found them yesterday. I think that was the most fun I've had on my mountain bike in a LONG time. Wow.

It was a little rainy, and when we got to the top of the slick rock it was very foggy. Probably cuz we were IN the clouds. It was pretty sweet.

Today we went to Trace Ridge. The plan was to do a 3 hour ride, even though it was raining. Well, let's just say April and I did a 3 hour ride. . . . .the rest thought we were dead I guess. They were just about to call Smoky the Bear to come find us. I thought we were dead for sure. We found the trails I recognized, but then also found a bunch of others. I think we were lost for a good hour. It was a little scary. It was the MOST scary when I couldn't feel my feet because it was so flippin' cold. That one took it out of me. I guess it's a good thing it was the last one. Stick a fork in me, I'm DONE.

Time to pack and think about departing tomorrow. I'd rather just take a nap. Uuugh. I hate being out of shape.

It was a wild night at 140 Camby Dr

2009-03-26T08:07:00.005-05:00

Yes, it's true

2009-03-23T21:24:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's true. My road bike flew off the bike carrier on the way to North Carolina. We were rounding the corner on an off ramp, I heard a noise and Bill said "oh shit, we just lost a bike". Sure enough, it was mine. I don't know how the semi behind us didn't run over it. I think we were lucky that it was on a corner because it flew to the outside of the turn, just where cars couldn't get it. Looks like it just needs some new bar tape (which Bill JUST replaced) and a couple other things got scuffed (seat got ripped, but I think it will be ok).

Beyond that I somehow managed to get the dog wrapped into the gas pump at the gas station - while the gas was pumping, which caused the pump to fly out of the tank and pump gas all over the ground, after catching me, the dog and the side of the truck. The rest of the ride in a gas smelling truck was a good time. Ooops.

But now that we're a couple days into the trip, the "bad" luck is gone. All is going well. No pictures for you. . . .I'm too lazy. It's past my bed time and I'm TIRED. Maybe tomorrow.

Spring? Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T07:11:00.003-05:00

The gorgeous sun is already poking through the trees. . . . .it's a large orange fireball today, it looks like it's going to provide us with lots of sunshine and warm temps. How nice that will be!

I have too cramped of a schedule to get a ride in today, but I'm sure I'll be able to get Thunder Puppy out for a walk. I think she's already excited. She's running up and down the hallway in her "crazy Gila Monster" mode. It's very hard not to laugh at.

I'm not Irish, but I'm going to attempt to make some corned beef today. Hopefully it will turn out decent. We'll see. If not, I'll just have to make sure there's enough "green beer" to cover the taste up.

Enjoy the weather, enjoy the day. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My Super Hero

2009-03-12T20:22:00.001-05:00

Thanks Rachael

Short sales and foreclosures

2009-03-10T13:00:00.002-05:00

I find it interesting that an exploding portion of society is in the predicament of finding themselves not able to make their mortgage payments or owing more than their home is worth.

I find it even more interesting that the government is rolling out this huge bail out program for these people.

Being "in the market" I see a lot of these people day to day. And one of the things that I think most people would find interesting is that not all these people are the "irresponsible, over-buying" personality that they seem to be categorized as. In fact in our area (speaking specifically about Washington County), many of these home owners who are facing foreclosure are "regular people" with 30 year, fixed rate mortgages, in homes worth $250,000 or less, who bought when the market was at it's highest 3-5 years ago and now can't afford to sell because home values have gone down.

Even homeowners who bought $170,000 homes 3-5 years ago, putting 3-5% down can't afford to move because these homes have actually gone DOWN in value. Add to that the costs associated with selling (and yes, there are a lot of them EVEN if you don't use the services of a Real Estate Broker), and these sellers are having to bring money to the table to simply get rid of their house.

Now wouldn't it be better if these people who HAD to move, could move without having to give their house back to the bank as a foreclosure? Before you answer that question, I think one needs to understand how much foreclosures impact THEM personally. Foreclosures cost banks (and taxpayers) a TON of money, and they destroy property values for those of us who DO make our payments.

If your neighbor's house gets foreclosed on, chances are they're going to sell for quite a bit less than what it "should" be worth. That now affects you. When you go to sell your house, people will determine the value of YOUR home based on what your neighbor's house sold for not what your home is actually worth. You've just lost money on YOUR home because your neighbor couldn't make HIS payment and the bank had to foreclose on him.

Sure, there are people out there who were irresponsible with their money, who got themselves into mortgages they couldn't afford and are now looking for an easy way out. . . . .but to say every homeowner who is facing foreclosure or short sale is "irresponsible" is simply not true.

Bad things happen to good people. People lose their jobs, get divorced, death, illness, declining housing values. . . .all of these factors ALSO contribute to the foreclosure rate. It's not ALL irresponsibility.

Interesting

2009-03-08T16:22:00.002-05:00

Today's rain gave way to some icy, slushy rain, which is now large snow flakes.

Interesting.

At least the ice coated on the trees looks pretty.

I wish I wouldn't have eaten so much at MJ Stevens. I feel like I need to barf now. Uuugh.

I'm so confused

2009-03-08T07:41:00.003-05:00

Ice and snow, freezing rain, more snow, 60 degree day, more snow, more icy rain, warmer temps, snow melting, freezing rain, warm temps, lots of fog, ride outside, cold weather again, snow on deck. What the heck? Wisconsin sure has variety, doesn't it? Although I'd prefer variety of the WARMER type.

Got outside for a ride on Friday, even though Thursday was the nicer day. I learned a little lesson. . . . .when riding outside for the first time in MONTHS, it's probably best to ride by one's self. Especially if you're one of those people without a lot of higher end fitness. Hills are probably better to LIMIT on the first ride out. . . . .at least if you don't want to bury yourself.

The ride was fun, but 2 days later I'm still working the knot out of my shoulder and hoping TODAY I'll be able to ride again. That didn't feel like a ride, it felt like a race. A 2 hour race. And apparently I'm not quite ready to race yet.

I anticipate a lot of rides alone this Spring. . . . . .at least until I get that higher end back again.

Awwww

2009-02-25T17:21:00.003-06:00

They said she was the most WELL behaved dog they've seen in a while. I don't think they know her. Or maybe they cut her little devil horns out while they were taking her reproductive parts.

Poor thing. Hopefully tomorrow is better for her. She's a little uncomfortable right now. And on top of the whole ordeal, we found out she has lyme's disease. How in the world do people do it with HUMAN children? I can barely be a mom to a dog.

Poor Puppy

2009-02-25T09:16:00.002-06:00

Today the 75 lb Baby is at the vet. No puppies for T-Dog. Poor thing. I hope she won't have to wear the cone. Although that would be pretty funny.

Birthday shout out

2009-02-19T08:57:00.001-06:00

Happy Belated birthday General!

Colds

2009-02-17T16:32:00.002-06:00

Somehow I managed to avoid catching a cold ALL winter. . . . .and NOW I have one.

While no one likes colds, I seem to find my patience level goes to ZERO when I'm not feeling well.

Today I'm ready to trade my German Shepherd in for something that doesn't cry all the time and need constant attention.

I'm ready to throw my lap top across the room since I seem to be too stupid to figure out how to put together my post card mailing.

And I just want to retreat away from the world and be alone. Is that such a bad thing?

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T08:27:00.001-06:00

Since Billy has been a good boy, he got something special for Valentine's Day this year.

Weekend Wrap Up

2009-01-26T16:01:00.008-06:00

Quite a weekend it was. I don't know how the weekends in January get so full, but they do. Looks like February is booking up fast as well. At this rate, Spring will be here before you know it and we'll be racing. That's a scary thought.

Friday night Thunder had some peeps over for her birthday.

Yes, she had her own cake, but didn't get to eat any of it because "people food" gives her a belly ache. So we ate it for her. Good thing she requested MY favorite cake.

Saturday was the Super Spin in Fond du Lac. 3 hours in the saddle. Coming off a recovery week the first hour was hell. After that it got easier. But by hour #3, the seams were rubbing from the shorts and it was time to call it quits. We wrapped up that evening by stuffing our faces at the Guse's house in Fond du Lac with some of their team members. Got home early, in bed with the electric blanked cranked on HIGH by 9:30. Awesome.

Sunday I had to do some work, which was just fine by me. Eating is always a good thing. . . .work leads to eating for Brittany. After that, we headed out to celebrate Shooter's 39th birthday. Yes, she picked Roller Skating. I used to LOVE to roller skate. Yesterday I decided I liked it MUCH more when I was 12. Amy, however, was zipping in and out of all the little 6 year olds on the skate floor. She seemed to fit right in. And we couldn't even SEE Lori. . . . .it's like she WAS ONE OF THEM. Strange.

Some child took out Bill, then stopped to ask him if he was ok as he was scraping himself up off the floor. He said it was a little humbling, but I think he got back at the children in general as I saw him trip 2 or 3 of them throughout the afternoon.

Wrap up the evening with a DQ cake to celebrate "39", and we called it a weekend. In bed again by 9:30 with the blanket on high. I love that blanket. It's the only think keeping me sane in this weather.

Birthday shout out

2009-01-22T13:33:00.002-06:00

Yes, she is ONE YEAR OLD today.

Happy Birthday Thunder!!

I can't believe it

2009-01-21T11:19:00.003-06:00

I woke up today, took the girls out to go potty and thought to myself "wow, it actually feels a little warm today". Got inside and realized it was a whole, whopping 15 degrees. I was actually excited. How sad is that? :-)

But the sun is shining, it IS above 15 degrees, it's not snowing. . . . .what a wonderful day. I hear tomorrow it's supposed to break 30! WOW! Then back to colder temps of course. . . .but hey, who's COMPLAINING?!?!?

Do you want to change your life?

2009-01-18T13:05:00.002-06:00

Blame, justification and complaining are just like pills. They are nothing more than stress relievers. They alleviate the stress of failure. Think about it. If a person weren't failing in some way, shape or form, would he or she need to blame, justify or complain?

For the next seven days I challenge you to NOT COMPLAIN AT ALL. Not just out loud, but in your head as well. But you have to do it for the full seven days.

An excerpt from "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth".

Can you do it? I'm gonna give it a try.

THIS JUST IN

2009-01-16T09:34:00.001-06:00

Yes, the West Bend Wal-Mart is indeed full of SH@T.

Is this really a news flash?

Thunder knows Yoga?

2009-01-15T06:56:00.003-06:00

It's so cold outside, I SWEAR I saw Thunder do this yoga pose this morning.

I think her paws were freezing to the ground in the whole 120 seconds she was outside. I had to laugh. I didn't know a dog could balance on two legs like that. Then again, Thunder is "special".

What would you do?

2009-01-13T07:20:00.003-06:00

Have you seen this new show that tests your values & morals by subjecting you to different situations where you "should" intervene?

I haven't watched it, but I've seen the ads for it, and I've seen some of the experiments on Good Morning America. I don't like it. I actually won't watch it because I don't want to know what I would do, or what the person next to me would do, etc. I'd like to think I'm good natured and would help someone in trouble, but if it put me in danger, I'm not so sure I would necessarily do "the right thing".

I guess it gets you thinking if nothing else. Right?

It's COLD

2009-01-13T07:16:00.002-06:00

I can handle the snow. . . .that's cool. But I'm not liking the cold temps. Brrrrr. Makes me want to curl up in a blanket and read all day. I hope the sunshine comes out later. Too many days without sunshine make for a sad Brittany.

Stay warm!

Thunder

2009-01-11T08:25:00.003-06:00

Thunder likes the snow.

Too bad the subzero temps are coming this week. I'm surely not taking her hiking in such FREEZING cold! Too bad we don't have a treadmill. I could teach her to walk on it.

Yes, I know

2009-01-09T14:06:00.003-06:00

Yes, I know, I don't update anymore. It just seems like there is so much other stuff going on and I'm stretched between so many places, taking the time to update my blog just hasn't seemed important.

What's new with me? Well, I'm finding the state of the economy very interesting as of recently. Everywhere you turn there are self-help shows, financial seminars, webinars, tons of "free" information on how to turn things around. If so many people have access to all this free information, why is the economy still a mess?

And how about that show - Biggest Loser? It's my favorite show. I'm inspired by the people who have the courage to go on it and make these life changes. But I also think it gives the "average" person a completely false sense of reality. Sure they have these ball-breaking workout sessions, but that's not all they do. I'm certain they have to also be doing hours of easy cardio in addition. And what do they eat? You can be SURE they don't eat candy, sweets, cheese, lots of pasta, etc. But they don't take us through that, do they? They leave the average viewer thinking "if I can work out this hard I will see these results too". WRONG.

How about this weather? What is with this cold?? I'm ok with the snow, but do we NEED to have single digit temps next week? Yikes! I don't like the extreme cold (which is anything below 20).

And why do people make New Year's resolutions? Shouldn't you be doing these things every day to make your life better? Why wait until the new year to "decide" to get fit, or to stop eating junk food, or to work out more or whatever. People have these unrealistic expectations every year and they end up letting themselves down. I don't understand.

I did steal one wonderful idea for 2009 though. An old friend of mine has adopted the slogan "Simplify and Ecofy in 2009". I decided I REALLY like this motto. Again, it's simple, and it's what we all SHOULD be doing. . . . .but I'm not. And I think I'm going to start trying to.

That's my two cents worth. I'll see if I can shorten the gap for the next update. That's if anyone cares to read them. :-)