yesterday and the day before

we took the kids to brookfield zoo on tuesday. first stop was the stingrays. i can't even tell you how cool that was! i felt like the biggest dork because i was so excited about it. i look forward to going back and checking them out again. the rest of the visit was typical- dolphin show, the swamp, bears, the petting zoo (where a goat ate my zoo map), etc.















on the drive home casey was out and zoe sang to us.









wednesday i hit palos. shout out to tp for bringing my bike to the preserves. it was a strange yo yo ride. a few unfamiliar trails and some i could ride with my eyes closed.

and

looking at my lap times it looks like i was doing a bit over 1 hour and 20 minutes. my second lap is accurate, my first and third are not. but my third lap is the same exact as brent's. that's cool as i thought i was averaging 1 hr and 30.
stolen from the goat.

brutal fun

i've been planning on hitting the wems blue mounds race since the beginning of the year. brent from twin six kept telling me to come. not that i needed much convincing... i've been dying to ride there since john raced the ss state champs race there last year. the technical aspect of it drew me in.
we originally wanted to head out friday night and camp... ya know hang out. but then thought about not being with the kids for that long and the fact we'd be ditching them 24-9 weekend we thought best to head up saturday morning.
we had the kids dropped off and were in the car headed to blue mounds around 8:30am. plenty of time to get to the course and even hang out and chat for a bit. just as we got on 39 right before the clocktower (bus 20) in rockford traffic came to a halt. dammit. we turned off the tunes and put on a news station in hopes of finding out what the problem was. by the 3rd time the traffic report came on they finally let us in on what was going on. a tanker exploded just south of 43 in beloit on 90. great. we are backed up this far already! long story short we were rerouted onto 51 which consists of traffic lights, shopping malls... add the semis being rerouted and the other traffic, it took us 4 hours to get there! usually 2.5.
we made it to blue mounds according to the element clock at 12:36. the start time was 1pm and we had already missed the rider's meeting. luckily this isn't as strict as wors with being registered by a certain time. 6 hour solo here we come.
back to the car to get ready. damn it was hot. i was sweating putting on my spandex. i still had to check the air in my fork, pee, get bottles ready, etc. john was pretty much ready in plenty of time... i'm sure he was a little stressed.
as i went to check the negative pressure in my fork some of the oil squirted out right onto my rotor. damn. okay get some alcohol. luckily the camp next to us had some. wipe the rotor. bottles. food. now go pee. dammit. i have bibs on. how annoying. finally got going. i missed the run (damn) and headed on my way. i don't know how much later i was to the start, 10 minutes maybe? i dunno. i didn't really care. i was just here to enjoy the trails.
first section. wild. super fast down hill with big ass rocks. sweet. i had no idea what to expect, it was awesome. i came up on that first big rock with the drop and was sort of psyched out. i wussed out. did the next one and continued on my way.
the singletrack was awesome. i'm still stoked thinking about riding there. i get excited thinking about all those fast sections of picking your way through. i had a blast. yes it's brutal, but oh so fun.
on my first lap i was going pretty good until right before the second climb... for whatever reason i got sloppy. i got really hot really fast and just felt off. my heartrate was off the charts. wtf. i had to slow down (stop) and hang out for a minute before i got hurt. i think i was overheated and a bit hungry. i cooled down on the side of the trail with a couple other guys and chatted. i didn't realize at that time that i was at the top of the climb! if i had known that i wouldn't have hung out as long. not that it mattered. anyway, got moving again and felt a lot better.
made it back to camp where jeremey was hanging out with chris' wife kim. i sat down for a bit to have some fig newtons and some water. i hung out chatting, i don't know how long. i was ready to go back out but thought john was due in and decided to wait... it was taking a lot longer than i expected so i ended up just going out.
i felt way better this lap. rode the climbs (well okay not that second one where it gets crazy) and nailed the singletrack. there were more than a few things out there i couldn't ride... this trip anyway. i'd love to go back there sometime knowing the trails a bit more and find the lines on a couple of the rocks.
as i was finishing my second lap i saw brent's ass. he was hunched over his bike (flat fixing). i ended up rolling around to his tent. we chatted for a few and decided to ride a 3rd lap together. i was a little intimidated. i know i'm slow and i don't know if he thought i was fast or what. it ended up being a great fun lap. the singletrack was even more fun knowing someone was there pushing you a bit. we were chatting... blah blah blah. riding with people is so much fun. i started to get real tired towards the end and ended up walking the gravel climb home. but i was done. if i ever do a race like that again i'll be sure to eat more. i only had a few fig newtons and 2 clif bloks. two bottles of electrolyte drink and 4 bottles of water. some of which was drank by my neck and back.
surprisingly i never went down. i had more than a few pedal strikes and a lot of dabs. my carbon crank is worked from pedal strikes. looks like the dog was gnawing on it. interesting that on my 3rd lap i never struck a pedal. it's amazing how you adapt to things. on my first lap talking to some chick i hit my pedal so hard it through me sideways!
i can't tell you how much fun i had riding there. i love that shit. maneuvering your way through the rocks, roots, etc. finding the lines. do i go around the rock or over? i love to have to think about it. i love getting tossed around a bit. i love getting it next time. taking the wrong line or getting pinballed and having to get yourself out of something by hopping a rock or tossing the bike over something.
i only wish gaining fitness was that much fun. had i had more fitness a 4th lap could've happened.
i finished 2nd place for the 6 hour solo and john finished 3rd. awesome for his first time at a race like this. congrats to chris for his 4th place finish and aaron for hanging in there after 3, or was it 4, mechanicals.
my back is a little sore this morning still and my legs a bit tired heading up the stairs. but other than that i feel great. i'd like to do a road ride later. i don't see myself offroad today.
thanks to the goat for helping out, kim as well- she's got the pit thing down. she has things ready before you even know you need it. i learned one thing, i can't race non-stop for 6 hours knowing there are people to chat with just hanging out!
i'm waiting for other people to post pics so i can steal them.

junk

tuesday night got home and dashed mad to my aunt's house. it was pretty disappointing. john decided not to go and everything just seemed rushed. the food was excellent though. wednesday was pretty uneventful. we wanted to do the metric century but we didn't have a sitter. we had planned a short mtb ride for later in the morning but rain dissed that plan. we spent the day hanging with the kids and doing misc things with the bikes. new wheels, tires, brakes, lowers... only a few "undone" things before we start thinking about what else can we do bikewise. there was a foster's marathon on all day, that was awesome. i love that show.
we hit the dirt around 6:30. my gram said she'd watch the kids for a bit. we rushed back to be sure we didn't miss the fireworks. oak forest has a pretty decent show. this year with zoe we couldn't get right on top of the action for fear of causing permanent deafness. so instead of riding bikes to the park, we rode bikes on the path to a clearing and had a perfect view. just us and the deer. i'm surprised more people don't hang out there for the fireworks!
now today i'm working from home with thoughts of doing anything but. i really need to get my work done for obvious reasons, but mainly so i don't feel guilty going into the weekend.
blue mounds will start on saturday for us. saturday will be a long enough day without them.

unmotivated

it's so hard to stay at work knowing the trails are minty. no ride tonight. responsibility called and said the fridge was empty. grocery shopping took the better part of my evening. i made up for it by stoking casey out with a ride to the park. zoe and i watched her become a monkey for about 45 minutes.
tuesday night is john's night to ride... 4th of july will be celebrated tomorrow evening at my aunt's. she lives a block away.
wednesday is up in the air... metric century, dirt ride, both?

long but short

SRAM cup was a blast. john and i were teamed up. we took 5th. SRAM cup is an annual event in the summer where SRAM employees, SRAM friends, significant others, kids, etc. have a relay race. one a and one b rider team up to do a super short mtb loop. 10 laps, each rider does 5. afterwards we head over to a SRAMmie's house for some pizza, pop, beer, snacks etc. good times.
saturday john rode with bos while i went out to breakfast with the kids and my mom. i'm still thinking about the strawberry waffle.
we couldn't really do anything with the graduation party time looming. john went back at the walt tension screw (yes it was still stuck). and i took care of the kids. the graduation party was okay. lots of people i didn't know, the appetizers sucked (i was starving) but the food was killer. sausage, chicken, pasta, jello molds, the list goes on. i ate way too much as usual. we ended up not staying for the cake which was a total bummer, but to make up for it i had my share of brownies. hit the sack early (thankfully).
zoe was up at the buttcrack of dawn. i brought her downstairs. i thought i dozed for a second but apparently it was longer. when i woke the family room looked to have been hit by a snowstorm- she found her formula stash in the diaper bag. which turned out to be a good thing as motivation was early to start cleaning. we finished straightening up and headed to dunkin donuts for some coffee and grub. home depot for some misc items and headed home.
it was a beautiful afternoon. i couldn't help but think about eau claire. but it wasn't in the cards. 7 hour drive and no sitter didn't bode well for us to make that trip.
by this time john finally got the tension screw out of the walt!














probably about 5 hours total. i was super stoked. i don't plan on using those things ever again.
we celebrated by washing bikes and playing in the yard. it was a great afternoon.





















my mom was mother of the day as she agreed to watch the kids while john and i played out at the mesa. john on his newly stemmed ardent and myself on the eriksen (i swapped out the devo for a deva- what a diff!!! i thought i needed to tweak the fit, with swapping the saddle, no tweaks). this would be my 3rd ride on this bike. the first time out was after the rain and i don't really feel like i was able to get a feel for it with the conditions. the 2nd ride with jeremey, jerry and dano i kind of consider the first test. i was a little timid on it. unsure of its handling. it was 26" wheels. i felt a little off. riding it sunday it felt like an extension of my body. it was wonderful. can't wait to get back out on it. the walt too... the poor road bike is still sitting in the basement unfinished. i also really need to tire up the industry nines. i know where my priorities are.
i was bummed out i wasn't at eau claire especially after race reports, photos and results are up. i love that course. congrats to jesse for taking the win again! awesome finishes for marko and ron as well. i think i would have done well. i hope anyway. next up is blue mounds. which bike?

motivation

i can't seem to get motivated to post. i had two good mtb rides two days in a row and have been content to read about them here and here.
i also have a new bike completed and haven't been motivated to take pics and post. hopefully i'll get more fired up soon.
SRAM cup tonight. should be fun. 2 graduation parties tomorrow (ugghhh). sunday is planless. get some good rides in for sure. maybe finish my road bike, mount my tires, blah blah blah. no eau claire this weekend which is a bummer as i loved the course minus that longer than needed lead out. it's a little too long of a drive. blue mounds next weekend though. out.

want to cry

i wanted to post pictures of my eriksen. i wanted to get pics of my wheels. but going to change gears on the walt the slider bolt is stripped and stuck in the frame. can't get it out. at least i hope it's the bolt and not the frame that's stripped. so pissed and trying to tell myself it's a frame. worst case i have to send it to walt and get the dropout replaced... then deal with the paint and hope the decals won't need to be replaced.

eye 9

my wheels came in. loud. my headset may have to be changed or i may need to order up new decals. i'll decide tomorrow.

weather

the ride for today is up in the air. supposedly strong t-storms on the horizon.
looks like there are some south of here but nothing west... yet. i know it can change at any time but i can only hope that mother nature doesn't thwart my plans.
my coworkers were making fun of me for bringing my bike in. like didn't i know it was suppose to rain... whatever. now i hope even moreso that it doesn't so i can laugh at them for not bringing their gear.

eriksen

done... kinda. just under 20lbs according to my ultimate scale. still waiting for my own wheels and a different fork lower. thanks to john for letting me borrow his brand new never ridden race wheelset to get this little honey going.

wi state ss champs at the hpt

(I really should have been eating at this time instead of taking pictures)














It was awesome. The run sucked. I haven’t ran since H.S. I’m dead serious. Like a ¼ mile run. I surprised myself that I actually ran the whole way though. Thought for sure I’d finish walking it.



















Murphykate was off the front… She’s a cross country runner so was way up to start. She blew us other girls away.

It took me forever to recover. The whole ½ start lap I couldn’t breathe. Let me first tell you that I purposely ordered endless cogs (23, 24 and 25) for this race. Got them and they wouldn’t slide on my freehub! So I ended up running a 32:21 which I knew would be too big, but I tried not to focus on it. Well, I really focused on it that start ½ lap… holy crap. It was switchback after switchback with steep climb after steep climb. I was miserable. I had doubts about finishing if the whole course was like that. I attempted to count the monkeys that were all over the course, but to be honest I kept getting stuck at 8 and 9. I still don’t know how many there were… those two frisky monkeys were having way more fun than I was when I passed them at one point.


Anyway, I came through the start finish lap finally starting to recover. I headed out to do a complete lap. I was actually starting to feel good. I came zooming down this widetrack and saw Murphykate on the other side. At this point I had no idea how close she was. I had no idea until I reached the end of the widetrack and made the turn. Holy crap. I could win. Nah, probably not. But still. I just pedaled along and didn’t see her anymore. I figured she saw me and stepped it up. I knew I’d see her in the singletrack. And I did. The singletrack was killer. Off cambr log crossings. Bridges. Cut out trees, bridges, rock gardens. Sweet. I was riding behind her talking. I think I made her nervous. I never passed her. It’s funny, I didn’t have any desire to. I knew she’d blow me away out of the singletrack and I was just content to ride with her (I’m so competitive).

We saw a sign that said “passing ahead”, or something like that, so I figured it was going to flatten out. It didn’t. It was a switchback which had a wide open climb. Boo. Murphykate can walk way faster than me! She was gone never to be seen again. I didn’t even try to find her… but even if I did, I don’t think I would’ve won anyway.

I was super low on water and no food. Did I mention I pulled a lame-o move before the race and didn’t eat? I was starving. I also didn’t know how many laps. I was sure Jesse, Marko and John would’ve lapped me by now. They hadn’t so I thought I was on my last lap. Boy was I wrong… I heard Jesse, saw him and cheered him on. Marko was shortly after. Then nobody. But the wind was let out of my sails… I had one more lap… I was starving, had no water and was a bit bummed.

So I recovered from the bum out about as quickly as it came and was on my way to the start finish area. No water boy? Where the fuck is James? Great. There is no way I can finish a lap without water, in fact, I think I needed two! But I wasn’t about to quit even though I thought about it like 23 times.

I saw some fellow WORS racers who are practically my neighbors and asked them for water. Tom tossed me a bottle… it didn’t reach me and landed on the ground and opened up. CRAP. So I grabbed it real fast to save as much water as possible… I didn’t want to ask for more. They were doing 12 hour solo. So I at least had some water.

I rode the singletrack much better this time even. It was super fun… but the gel started to wear off, my stomach was growling and I was trying to save water for the other side. I could feel my left leg- you know that feeling when you know eventually you were going to cramp? Yeah, that was happening.

I was starting to feel the effects of no food, no water, etc. I was just getting ready to pass to the other side. I was sort of dreading it. It took forever. My left leg was cramping at the slightest motion and my right foot was starting to cramp. I tried to make sure I kept my foot straight to pedal. With all the climbing and being dehydrated I pretty much walked the last half lap. I felt like I walked way more than I rode. I think I even walked flats thinking they were climbs. I couldn’t even clip in. I just put my foot on the pedal and eventually it would go in. There was this one step up between two trees… when I got to it for the third time, I swear it was way bigger than the other two times. How did I ever get passed this thing those other two times?

I felt dumb. How long have I been racing? How the hell did I forget to eat? And how many times had I been burned by people supposed to be feeding me water? I kept thinking about sitting and tell the next person who passed me to get me water. Or I kept hoping for John to come get me… I felt like I was out there forever… I kept thinking about the Mississippi river and how close it was. I just wanted water.

I finally finished in just under 3 hours I believe… around 10 minutes behind the winner and 30 some minutes up on 3rd place. There were a lot of what ifs like there usually is for me… I seem to learn my lessons more than once. But in the end it’s always fun and that's all that matters. I’m glad we made the drive.

I found out that endless had a bad run of cogs… so I’ll be calling/emailing them today to get the skinny.

The only thing I regret from the weekend is not checking out Jesse’s basement.

Thanks to Jesse for letting us stay on his hard floors. As hard as they were it was way better than waking up at 3am. As much as I wanted to kick James’ ass I appreciate him being there getting me water (when he remembered) and taking pics. Thanks to Tom and Gina for the water. And of course thanks to Twin Six for making such cool stuff and sharing it with me.

On the way home the Montee's thule case popped open from all of Murphykate's well earned hardware. I was just getting ready to make fun of them and they pulled off the road.

ride

i went out to palos last night. i didn't know who was going to be there but knew there'd be people out there. 6pm wednesdays is a pretty standard group ride night out at mt. forest. i pulled up and right away saw john siwinski. cool. i tagged along on his ride. 7 of us total. it was by no means fast or anything... it was a fun pace. we chatted and stopped every so often to regroup. i was able to ride some of the new trails that have been built within the last year or so. i have such a poor sense of direction i hope i remember it all if i venture out on my own.
i went down once... i rammed a stump hidden in the weeds. 29er wheels roll over most everything easy but not everything. it was also a reminder why to keep your brake lever sort of loose... had they been super tight i probably would've damaged my bar or broke a lever.
hopefully this'll start a routine for wednesday night again. there's a summer solstice ride going on tonight... i'd like to go, but doubt it'll happen. i have so much to do. we are heading up to lacrosse on friday night.
it's amazing what a simple mountain bike ride does for your soul.

hump day

exciting things on the bike front and hopefully on the ride front tonight.
the new "race" frame has arrived and all the fun parts ,except for wheels, are already here. may have to borrow john's til mine come in.
it's been a meh start today. i spent too long drooling over my frame last night and hanging as many parts as i could- i started at 10 or so- and didn't get upstairs to brush my teeth til after midnight. as i'm brushing my teeth and picking shit out of the holes that used to be molars, zoe wakes up. i roll my eyes in disbelief. murphy is definitely not on my side. i wait to see if she is just having a moment. it's a pretty long moment... but she's not screaming yet. she's only playing. maybe she'll just lay down and sleep. no way. i give her more than a few minutes of desperate-come-get-me-crying before i break down and get her. she's wide awake. so i try to get her to lay down... no go. i ended up having to get her a bottle. this helped and she fell asleep shortly after. but the damage was done, it was late and i knew i would be super tired. and i was. john woke me at 6. crap. i feel like i need at least another hour. i hadn't felt that tired on wake up in a couple weeks. so i hopped in the shower hoping that zoe's late night party would keep her in bed and delay even further her usual 5:30am rise and shine. just as i stepped out of the shower she woke up. no big deal, but it would have been nice to get ready for once without having to clean up all the feminine hygiene products she so enjoys to play with while i blow my hair dry... or the lotion she tries to eat... or unraveling the toilet paper... or eating my shoe... or trying to escape to another room. my late wake up furthur screwed things up as today is go to my grandma's day- which means that it'll take me that much longer to get out of the house and i need to make an extra stop. i finally make it out and head to work. i'm thinking an iced coffee would be nice. i need caffeine and wasn't in the mood for hot. fuck. i'm at dunkin donuts and realize i forget my phone (ultimately not a biggee) and inhaler (big time biggee)... mostly because today i'm going straight from work to ride my bike. ugghhh. turn around go back home get my stuff. surprisingly the drive in is uneventful but still long. i get to work and then stepped in gum. how annoying. people are fucking ignorant.
i've been kind of bummed i haven't gotten any riding in, real riding, for a long time and was super irritated from my morning, but then i read this. it put things in perspective.

BOO

no riding since last tuesday night. i'm going to try and head out tomorrow for the wednesday night mtb ride out at palos. totally sucks but its not like i'm sitting on my ass or anything. life is just busy i guess.

wednesday post

hit the mesa with tony last night. super mellow ride bullshitting about this and that. cicadas were there, but not in palos-like quantities. one flew on my leg and i freaked. i kept telling myself i wouldn't freak, but i did. i went off the trail a bit. thankfully no ledges or drops here.
casey's last night of soccer tonight. it's the kids against the parents. i hope they are all up for getting their little butts kicked.
hopefully i can restart the wednesday night rides at palos again next week. i haven't done one since like 2005. i used to ride in the fast group, i think i'll be in the kinda fast group hanging on. crossing my fingers the cicadas will be almost gone. maybe i'll rock the bkb kit, mine arrived today. thanks to those guys for getting all that stuff organized and shipped.
in other news...

soccer n things

casey has played soccer every monday and wednesday for the past month and a half. it's been fun loading up the tot rod and all heading out on our bikes to watch her play. bee swarms is what they call them. it's funny as that's exactly what it looks like out there with every kid following the ball. watching them i can totally understand how there are "those parents" that yell and scream at their kid. i hope to never become like that and i don't think i will, but i can see where it comes from. don't get me wrong, i loved every minute of watching her play, but really it is kind of boring. last night was great though. it was probably one of the most fun and hilarious half hours of my life in a long time. i'm sure every kid out there was in bed early last night.
as much as this pains me casey started gasp cheerleading last night. my sister has her own gym in mokena. every cousin of mine (they are all girls, all 13 of them) have been cheerleaders. i was the black sheep. when i was younger living at home my sister would constantly harrass me to "watch this" as she'd show me her new "routine" she had created. she'd make pyramids out of the furniture and cheer and dance. gosh i hated that. but she loved it like i love biking. casey is now interested (all my younger cousins are cheerleaders as well as her cousin). i'll be honest there is a part of me that hopes she doesn't take an extreme liking to it... but if she does, i'll be there for her every practice and competition and will like it and be happy because she's happy.

three triangles times two

(thanks to mark for the pic)

got one exciting phone call on friday and an equally exciting email on friday... pics to come hopefully by next week. (edit: pics of one this week, pics of the other for sure next)
saturday morning john and i loaded up the element and headed up to the southern kettles. we signed up for the 6 hour duo. since we weren't up for ditching the kids we brought them along and just had a mellow race. we tented with 6 hour solo participants jeremey, jerry, lori, dave, aaron, 12 hour solo chris and chris' sis in law kari. thank you kari for making pee breaks not so stressful as well as putting up with 100 questions and "watch this" from casey. i gave john the nod to take the first lap. as much as i love running, i thought i'd share the love. not even finishing the start he sheared off his front chainring. kind of a bummer when you are running one gear. so he came back and stole the walt. i can't even imagine how uncomfortable he was on a singlespeed that was geared way lower than he would ever gear and a saddle way too low. it must've been like riding a big bmx bike. while he was out i ran to the car (thanks again kari) to get our "singlespeed box" to replace his chainring bolts.
i headed out and had no idea what to expect course wise. i was pleasantly surprised with some awesome singletrack! it was a blast. i made everything out there on the walt except for the end of, i think its called peanut butter hill. my heartrate would sky rocket as i reached the turn and i'd have to get off... everytime! i need more fitness. i would love to see a video of myself climbing that last steep climb near the end.
john's second lap had him on his own bike... he was back within minutes with no chainring bolts again. wtf! damn spot brand chainring. he had that on the ziggurat and had all kinds of problems. (we threw it away when we got home, bad juju or something) i was right in the middle of feeding zoe so nobody was out on the course for us. no biggee. i just hoped john could get his bike running so he could ride. i finished feeding zoe and headed out for another lap. came back and john was ready to go with a truvativ ring up front. i didn't see him until 20 some minutes later. he stopped and asked if i minded if he went out again. no problem.
we had a good time. it definitely wasn't a race for us. just some good riding with some good friends around. i woud totally do it again. i am totally envious of all you parents who have your shit together and all runs smooth. no matter how many times we do this, we still always run late because we don't leave enough time to pack it all. but in reality, we are like that with everything.
sunday we had plans on hitting PAMBA, but with getting to bed after midnight (zoe was trying to pull an all-nighter, i think she was overstimulated from the day's activities), it just wasn't in the cards. instead we went out and had a great breakfast. we headed out to the bookstore for a new atlas and to let the kids have fun in the kids' area. casey loves looking at the books and playing with the trains. the train table was heaven for zoe. old navy was right next store, so we bought the kids some new summer tanks and hoped to find a cool dog collar. hooters was right across the street and they were having a car show, so we walked over there. casey loves the old cars. she had a good time pointing out all the cars she dug. she now wants a hot rod or a big caddy. next up was best buy and then home.
the rest of the day was spent picking up, yard work, casey left for my aunt's to swim, more errands and a kick ass dinner on the grill... fish, peppercorn, asparagus, olive oil, sausage, salad... yum. i regret not going for a ride, but my ass hurts like it does after that first ride after the winter...

out of sorts

i can't put a finger on how i feel today. crabby, nervous, guilty, annoyed, upset, calm, bugged, the list goes on. the wind is blowing pretty darn good right now... sucks for riding in the open, but good for drying the trails. all in vain though, its supposed to rain. meh. dora the explorer is on for the 3rd time today. nobody is watching it, the tv is just on. i want to finish the rig but i'm missing tires and a long enough chain.

wtf

i thought this was only supposed to last a couple of days! my mouth is still sore so i still can't eat a burger. i'm getting crabby about it to say the least. and what's up with the stitches on the left side? they seem to be in my cheek? did he miss? did he mess up and have to stitch my cheek? and bruises... that's just crazy that you get bruises. like how hard are they yanking on your jaw to get those bad boys out? i'm annoyed.
casey has soccer tonight. no ride. maybe i'll sneak out for a short one or something, anything.
this on saturday, 6 hour duo, me n john with the kids along and this on sunday if we can find a sitter. hopefully the weather cooperates. i'm itching to ride and hang out with friends.

swollen

so the doc was right... the third day i'd be most swollen. no joke. i'm pretty bruised too. i feel like somebody clobbered me. i guess if it's going to rain, now is a good time since i don't feel like riding at the moment. no soccer for casey tonight. bummer i was looking forward to it. it was her snack day too, so she was excited. i'm going to kill my dog before the evening is over...
stitches poking my tongue making it super sensitive. still want solid foods... hamburger. mmmm... the thai beef basil i tried to eat this afternoon at work didn't work out so well.... the rice was fine, the mushrooms were okay, the meat- i coulda choked. i had to just leave it at the rice and gravy. no worries... i'll just have leftovers. that's all i got.

crossing my fingers

i could have something killer from the brown santa by next week and something even more killer from the brown santa in two weeks. they'll hopefully make for some good photos. but we all know how dates of delivery are... but one can still hope.
i'd like them by june 17th though for lacrosse. that would be saweet. or wait, i forgot, i might do single there. but still have it built and ready to go by next race.

yeah... sucky

6 teeth pulled saturday morning. misery ensued for a few hours after. barely slept last night... today, no pain meds, however i wouldn't mind something to take the edge off. i can close my mouth today. i resemble a chipmunk. i miss food. i love food. solid food. tonight i could go for a grilled hamburger but have no desire to eat it through a straw. looks like soup again. bummer. hopefully tomorrow night i'll be able to chew but i'm thinking more like tuesday.

weekend death

my weekend will officially die tomorrow at 10:15 when i get shot up with an i.v. to have 6 of my choppers yanked.
hoping riding will resume monday.

sike

no teeth pulled today. i'm a little miffed as when i called to set up the appt i specifically asked if i needed a consultation... they said no. i had all my xrays, doctors note, etc. so instead of getting my teeth pulled i had to sit and watch a video for 20 minutes and then have a guy repeat what i just watched! and then sign a bunch of papers. how annoying! i purposely set up that appt for today so it didn't interfere with anything, etc. so now my appt is saturday at 10am. it was that or july. i hate the dentist even more now. my whole weekend is effed and i'll miss the palos picnic. i'm trying to figureo out where my bad karma came from.
i just hate when you try to do something and specifically try to head problems off at the start and you still get screwed.

an end

pretty good weekend. time with the kids and family, chores, riding, more riding. tomorrow my good times will come to an end when i hit the oral surgeon for some teeth pulling.

first group ride

paved to racoon alley to the mesa to the outer leg to the outer leg of the outer loop to the outer loop to sublime down to racoon alley up the roots and into garden grove. if you've ridden there you know exactly what we rode and how much fun we had. after cruising out of the singletrack i headed home to grab the kids. john, jeremey, jerry, lori and dave made their way out to swallow cliff. i had a great time. friends, singletrack and guitar hero. can't wait to do it again.
check out jeremey's blog and pics for more on the day.
tomorrow i don't know what's going on. we were going to ride... but with all the rain, who knows. monday is for sure... 10am with more friends.

family size pizzas

remember next time you might order one... don't eat half... you may not be able to fall asleep, like ever.

DONE

i bonked raking.
just ordered a family size pizza.

no ridin'

we've only been raking. finish the outer leg and garden grove and done.
hopefully i'll be able to get in plenty of riding this weekend.
my hip hurts, my hands hurt and my feet hurt from riding in my flexy vans and the singlespeed.
i woke up to my back screaming.
but it's worth it. the trails will be mint in a few hours.

graduation day

casey graduated preschool today. she's come a long way as far as participating in the programs. mid-year at her tea party she bursted out into tears she was so shy and nervous. today she sang and motioned to all songs except one. that one sucked anyway. she went up and got her diploma and even stopped to smile before going back to her seat (of course i missed the posed smile, damn digitals).


















i was super proud of her!

raking

finished raking the outer loop tonight. outer leg and garden grove are left. more raking and cleaning up the trails thursday, friday and hopefully by saturday it's go time.

humdrum tuesday

casey has been having a super rough couple weeks. yesterday on the way home from her soccer game she took a header right onto the pavement. thankfully we are helmet nazis and she came away with a scraped finger and some asphalt burn on her lower cheek and chin. she was a trooper though. cried for a minute and got right back up and wanted to race john.
tomorrow is graduation day for the 5 year old. that should be fun. her end of year picnic is on friday at the park right by our house. nice day off for me.
the mesa needs more raking. i'd like to make it out there this evening. i'm hoping the cicadas aren't ready to join me yet.

back at it

wors #2 yesterday. my first race for the year. i felt better than i thought i would, but it definitely pointed out something i already knew, i need to ride more to get some fitness and speed back. i have no power. i was stuck in the singletrack because of it and not because i couldn't handle it. i actually was pretty happy that i had retapped my skills.
the course was way awesome. great mountain bike course... climbs, technical singletrack, rock garden, off camber sections... just awesome. i never went down and i only walked a couple times. once because i just couldn't make it up and a few times because of other riders. i did hit a tree though...














you can see where its swollen, it's black and blue on the underside. my shoulder looks similar. it only bothers me if i'm holding zoe or hit something (duh). it was the last lap on the big o singletrack right before the wishbone log crossing... i hit the big tree on the left! it knocked me a bit off track and made for an awkward log crossing but that was it. i didn't even think i had a mark, until i finished. welcome to the season.

john hung in there with less than ideal conditions. people were dropping like flies out there!













thanks for the pics rusty!

wausau is up in the air for us. to be honest i'm not looking forward to a marathon course. i'm a singletrack junkie and would prefer to do something that had more of that. maybe go ride kettle that weekend and then do the 12 hour race the following weekend? we'll see. so much could happen before then. we still have memorial day weekend to think about.

and thanks to jeremey for the killer parking spot and to lisa and chris for helping to get my late ass registered.

race bike

no ride tonight. thunderstorms hit hard. i guess it was a good thing as i really really need to get the spot ready for sunday.
i'm being more responsible than usual and not saving it for saturday night. i went to start it and realized i needed a few parts i don't have here (surprise) and those parts that are needed are stopping me from finishing with what i do have. not to mention i don't feel like dealing with oil at the moment. annoyed at myself for not really thinking it through before today. some of it though is just because i want it a certain way, not that i need it. the bike could've been raced as is. i'm just not used to a boingy fork and i would appreciate the lockout. i take that back a little, the cables and housing are well overdue for a change. the rear hesitates... i seriously think it still has the cables and housing it was initially built with. no wait, 2nd, the cable was stainless.
i really would like to get out to geneva on saturday to pre-ride. that would be awesome. i need to hire a traveling babysitter. like a nanny for races. that would be cool. go up on saturday with this nanny person and pre-ride, hange out in the hotel and race the next day. and then i'd have to hire a dog sitter for the weekends we are away. i think i need a higher paying job.

there were dressed up alligators

casey still has a fever. we are monitoring her for a couple days, if she still has it she needs to have tests run. poor kid.
i hit the mesa tonight. alone again. i need friends. anyway, i had a much better time of it than last night. i must've been more tired than i thought. i'm still horribly out of shape but it was a lot more fun today. i was glad to get ejected off the bike yesterday. i don't know why but i seem to ride so much better once i get the first crash out of the way. i guess i need to realize it doesn't hurt.












zoe's ear infections, crusty eyes and nose seem to have cleared up. i finally seem to be coming around. i still don't have my voice back but at least i'm not coughing up a lung and can breath... my infected tooth isn't causing me too much trouble either. john has an appt tomorrow to see if his cough is anything other than just nagging.

another effer

i typed a long post last night... like a post so long people probably wouldn't even read and it's gone. where'd it go? irritating. a short recap... friday night sucked, saturday was okay and sunday was uneventful.
edit: found the post. i put it in my bike page. duh.

what did you think about last ride?

its late. i don't even wanna ride. i wish it were earlier. shut up and ride at least you get to go. why did i ride this (walt)? oh yeah, it's new and the spot needs work. i think i'm gonna be hot (wearing a long sleeve and vest). these voler shorts are way better than my verge. my saddle feels low. glass bottle by the curb... ooh hope if it punctures the stans works. where are all these cars coming from. why did i ride my single, this is way undergeared for the road. you'll be fine once you get out to the mesa. i'm tired. maybe i should go back and get my road bike... nah. my knee feels better on this bike, i wonder if the longer spindle on my spot is making my knee hurt. hmmm... i think my post slipped. (look down) maybe not. there's my mom. should i stop and say hi... only if she sees me. i feel sort of relieved she doesn't see me but bad at the same time. i wonder if tony is home. maybe he's getting ready for a ride and i'll have company. doubt it. it's mother's day. i should have called beth. nah, i bet she already went for a ride. wow i'm only going 11mph. i don't feel like spinning any harder. am i just lazy or tired? i know i'm out of shape but can spin faster than this. nah. why? hurry cross the street no cars. i wonder if i know those people? no, they are on comfort bikes. why do slow songs keep coming on my shuffle? maybe that's my problem. there's the trail. i wonder if the cicadas are out yet? no, i would've seen them already. maybe i'll run into a couple... i hope not. this stream crossing is really fucked up. i'm still amazed at how much water damage. we really need to cut this branch out... wow it's dried up even from friday out here. i'm tired. i'm gaining more confidence riding offroad though. fuck, i almost went off the wrong way. what's up with that. wow, it is the 29er wheel that allows me to get through that creek. dammit i didn't even make it half way up that hill. i'm sweaty... i'm going this way (sublime). wow this is in good condition. wtf. why do i keep pulling on one side on the walt (i went down after crossing a log). i hope there wasn't any poison ivy down there. okay concentrate here comes another log. maybe you aren't paying attention. this bike steers quick. it reacts to everything. is that good or bad? i think i just need to get used to it. give yourself a little break you haven't been offroad longer than 10 miles since sheboygan... so... wow this trail is hard on a 29er. i like it. i need to get this down. i accelerate really fast and am not used to it... and then it's not as nimble compared to my spot. but it's still awesome. i wonder what gear i'd run at palos? wow, that jump sucked. kinda scary. was it out of practice or the 29er? overanalyzing? just concentrate. fuck, i hope i get that turn and roots next time. fuck. oh my god it's like that log wasn't even there. that was cool. where's the trail? lazy eye... i like this song. teeter totter. i forgot about that. i'm doing it. no problem! rock garden. whoa... i almost went down in that turn. wtf? i seem to when the front hits something in a turn i feel like i'm going down. am i just being a wuss, a learning curve? who cares just pay attention. WOW, that's a big log crossing on a slight incline in a turn... can i even do that? i don't care. maybe next time. where's the trail? i love the mesa. i bet i can make it up rachael's log on a 29er. maybe i'll do it when i'm with someone. i'm tired. my hub feels like it's dragging. there are stan's sticks everywhere. this is fun. i forgot to tell people that the grand canyon is eroding toward the trail. i wonder if they know. i should fix that rut. (going into his bridge) bryan's rock. i wonder if he knows we call this bryan rock? okay log crossing you pulled too hard right last time you went over this. no problem. wow this bike accelerates so fucking fast. i need to get some skills to handle it like it deserves. i love these roots. they make me think everytime. this corner is muddy. i wonder if i can do that log ride. nah. rainbow bridge. squeeze between the trees. who keeps raking that trail? fuckers. whoa... you pulled too hard right again. wtf. smooth smooth smooth. i'm tired. my back is killing me. what will geneva bring? my back is gonna take me out. i'm gonna suck. who cares. i wonder how bad i'll suck? i hope i'm not last. i think i'll care if i'm last. there's a shitload of deer out here. i wonder if there are any coyotes? wow this dried up a lot. this log is so easy on a 29er. i can't believe how different this looks here. i'm going over our bridge... hold breath. phew. YES. got that out of my system. fuck this climb is hard. breath breath. this is fucking rooty. i feel like i'm gonna hit that tree with my elbow. i wonder where that tree comes up on tony? should i keep going? hmmm... yeah. i love this section. i love hammering over the raised roots. heh heh... siwinski was right... there's the go around for that tree down in the ravine. it wasn't raked here but you can totally see the trail. oh yeah, be careful grand canyon's ledge is at the edge of the trail now. i wonder if they'll reroute it. that one section is real dangerous. fucking thorns. i should head back it's getting dark. i'm tired. my hub feels like it's dragging. i need to stretch my back. my back is gonna be the death of me. oh my god i can't even straighten out. i think my post slipped. yeah, i think it slipped a little. maybe that's why my back hurts more than before?
thoughts of more of the same filled my brain as i headed back home. i was exhuasted and my back was killing me. i was talking to jeremey (after his iola post) about all the different thoughts that race through your mind while riding.
i'm still recovering from being sick (the whole family is). i also have this tooth infection dragging me down. vicadin had to put me to sleep for two nights in a row. i think the antibiotic has killed it enough now that it doesn't hurt near as much. may 29th i get a bunch of teeth pulled... i made sure it was after geneva and not near a weekend.
i hope all you moms had a great day... to those of you that read my blog and have a mom, i hope you made her feel special and appreciated.
casey has soccer tomorrow. hopefully she'll have more fun than she's had the past two games.

em effer

still sick. lost my voice. when i talk its as if my signal is fading in and out. add a toothache. it feels like my heart is trying to beat itself out of my rear molar. dentist tomorrow. i'm getting irritated and impatient.

when are we gonna be there?

i'd like to apologize to my parents for ever uttering this phrase.

twenty 9

my house ain't no photo studio. but you get the idea. more detailed shots soon.
20.4 lbs without trying. my ti eggs and ultimates would bring it under 20 lbs.

it's 1:29am

and this is zoe...














i'm tired. i wish she was. she's sick and doped up on pediacare and motrin...

zoe carbon zoe

teaser

ouch

two mtb rides this weekend. wow, i am so out of shape. i thought i was in a bit better shape than i am. oh well. i'm not going to dwell on it. there's nothing i can do about it except keep riding.
i impaled my right ass cheek on a small stump today. the same fall also put a nice scratch and bruise on the other cheek. sitting requires a lot of thought. my right side hurts so bad i can feel it in my thigh and lower back... i wonder if i hit some kind of nerve or something. all i know is it hurts. sitting, driving, pedaling and walking is uncomfortable. i was stopped on a hill waiting for brad to put his chain back on... as i got back on the rider in front of me didn't get on so i had to stop, i started to go back a bit and didn't get out of my clip in time. rookie. i hope it feels better tomorrow. sorry, no pics of my white and purple ass.
i can't seem to get the spot to fit right. i've been fine with it, but real offroad has made it feel like crap. i've got a week to figure it out.
i broke my little orange digitial camera. not even a year old. the screen is shattered in the back. it still takes photos but you can't see what the heck yer taking a photo of. i always buy the plans for items like this. i don't know why i didn't with this one. must have been pregnancy brain... anyway, i got a replacement yesterday. it's not as thin, but it's still small and light. i think i like the features better so far. i think i just like canons best.
i finally went to the grocery store today... not having any food to eat when we got back from the ride was the final straw. i didn't realize how much we use milk. i hate grocery shopping. especially on a weekend afternoon. it is pretty nice to have food in the house again.

4 frames

loads of stuff on the way... some old some new.
the next month should be busy.
this weekend is looking to be pretty sweet. 70s! no rain in the forecast til then (knocking on wood).
hopefully the winchester sent out that seatclamp...
gathering of parts continues. lots of stuff rolling in. it's kind of overwhelming.
i need to get more parts "out". i'll post a list of stuff i have at some point, see if anyone is interested. if not, hopefully some ebayer is.

50

long day on the bike today. raccoon eyes and small block of sunburn on the only exposed part of my legs as proof.
john and i both had some vacation time we had to burn up before we lost it. we took today and friday off. today was for us and friday is for the kids. will hit the shedd aquarium to see the komodo finally. casey will be stoked for sure.

the new owner of the sycip. hope he enjoys and doesn't grow out of it too fast.

swallow

i was jonesing to get off road today. i packed up and headed to swallow cliffs. i know the singletrack would be in no condition, but i figured the gravel paths would be doable. they were. the section from 107th to the tobaggans was wet... which means i got pretty muddy... just splashy shit everywhere. a fender would have definitely been appreciated. this old dude and i were going back n forth all afternoon... i would pass him on the flats and downs and he'd pass me on the climbs (surprise)... all i could think of when he would ride by me is how good a 29er would be for him.
you sport women better watch out. i did like 12 miles offroad today. this is a record... i haven't done this many miles since sheboygan last year... and the time before that, was sheboygan the previous year.
i guess i'll be racing myself into shape this year. sweet.
as great as it was to be offroad it sucked that i had to do a major cleaning of the bike. i also trashed my bottom bracket... but really i think it was trashed before today.

the sycip is gone. she left the basement about an hour ago. the basement isn't as cool as it was.

burping champagne

we had a wedding to go to yesterday. i good friend of mine was married at the bond chapel located at the university of chicago. what a beautiful place! i'm super happy for him and wish him the best.
after the wedding we headed to a french restaurant for lunch which really turned into like an early dinner. i had too much wine and champagne. for me that means a glass of each.
we got home close to 6 and i took the road bike out for a few loops around the golf course... after the 3rd lap i started burping champagne. i headed home, i told myself because i had cold toes, but really i didn't want to burp the fish. ick.

sold

i suppose i'll need to change my avatar now...

friday thru monday

basement, retaped bars, bike talk, sleep, ikea, new couch, woodfield, rainforest cafe, exhausted, sleep, family, easter dinner, bed by 9:30, work.

the setting sun makes a great training partner

home well after 6 today. john was picking up the kids. he isn't feeling well, but he was well enough to stay with the kids while i rode my bike. i started dinner as i got my bike stuff ready. pump the tires, fix the front brake and find all my shit. luckily, lately, i've been keeping it all together. but that didn't stop me from taking my glasses off and putting them somewhere or forgetting to grab my shoes after i had been in the basement 5 times already.
do i have time to hit the loop? the sun is getting low. i asked, john looked at me like i was dumb. go for it, the sun isn't even down yet.
the spot and i left shortly after to hit the loop. on the way i blasted by my mom, aunt, cousin and little cooper. on your left, on your left and then nobody for quite some time. passed a couple riders and crossed a few tri guys n gals. the sun was setting. i pedaled as hard as i could to make it back before dark. not because i was scared but because i wanted to ride fast and push myself.
i don't really consider myself a person who trains. all i want is to be able to go on rides with my friends and not pass out after two hours. i want to be able to function after the ride. i race to ride trails i wouldn't ordinarily ride and hang out with fellow bike geeks. i'd be lying if i said i don't care about the race. i do, it's easy to push yourself to be a better faster rider.

saturday

make up your mind

so i had all these ideas in my head on what i was going to buy and what i was going to change on the bike front (duh)... well since i didn't have money or time there are new thoughts in my head. i like these even better. one pic may happen this weekend. so i hope.
nothing much going on. just trying to keep family time, ride and keep the house slightly sane.
saturday so far has us picking up casey's soccer uniform. she's pretty excited.
sunday i'm hoping to come down to sram to help get a road bike fitted. we'll see. it's all hinging on ed.

spam

i'm selling my lemond sarthe 49cm complete and my look 585 frame.
i have something in the cooker. something that fits me.

interested or questions? email me: spicyride at mac dot com.

orange lemond sarthe 49cm
campy veloce
bontrager race wheels
xxxlite stem and post
not even 100 miles on it.













look 585 frame includes:
frame, fork, headset, bar, post and stem.
i'll snag a pic of this and post later.

motivation

how hard is it to stay motivated at work when the sun shining through the window keeps tapping you on the shoulder?
no complaints about the weekend. my complaint for the day is i miss casey. i haven't seen her since friday morning. she was in the dells at the kalahari water park. lucky her. sounds like she had a blast, i can't wait to here her stories.
my weekend consisted of bikes, bike parts, riding, zodiac, more riding and a walk in the park. i'm too unmotivated to type about any details. maybe later or tomorrow or something.

note to self

when you take the sycip out for a ride next time make sure the rear brake is bled and put air in the fork. your ride will be much more enjoyable.

march 20

at times it feels like i have so much going on. sometimes i feel like nothing is going on. hopefully this week and the end will be gettin' on with bike parts, bikes, team stuff and nice weather.

i cut my hair

can you tell?














no regrets. i don't miss it... yet anyway.

saturday

last night i didn't get home til around 7pm. John said his stomach was jonesing for some giordano's stuffed pizza so we headed out. that was about it. i didn't even fondle my new parts that came in friday and there were some good ones.
i didn't get a full night of sleep again. zoe woke up at about 5:15am and was ready to play. oh well. maybe tonight.
i'm getting antsy for the weather to turn. march and april is when you just start to get disgusted with how lame mother nature can be.
today i'm getting my hair chopped and touched up a bit. i hate that it takes hours. but when its done its worth it. i need a change.
too much sugar in my coffee this morning. i was getting caught up with the news this morning and came across a pet food recall. check it out if you have pets and may not have seen it. luckily it doesn't affect carbon.

dominos

phew. what an exhausting couple of days. casey, john and then zoe. i hope everyone is better tomorrow especially since the weekend will be here. what a nasty flu. starts out of the mouth, then mouth and rear for a bit and seems to end with just the rear.
i pretty much should've taken a sick or vacation day today. i didn't get anything done for work today, that coupled with leaving early wed will make for a very busy friday.
going to wake up john earlier i jammed my toe into the fucking vacuum cleaner. i hate that thing even more now. my toe is still bleeding and hurts like hell.
check out the walt. i can't wait to get it. i try to teach casey patience daily. what a hypocrite i am.
jerseys will be in new york tomorrow and then ship to oak forest.
the xbox 360 is back, one week and a day later.

green with envy

as planned i left work early. i was gonna write about the horrible commute home and then the puking preschooler but nah, i went on an awesome ride. amazing how much better your day will turn out to be even if after you had to play single parent to a cranky 7 month old and vomit and diarrhea spewing (at the same time) 5 year old.

pissed in my kool aid

i can't seem to find anytime to do a ride. i'm very annoyed. a lot of people say how nice it is that both of us ride. its nice in some ways, but sucks too.
i have a ton of work to catch up on from being in phoenix last week. even though the trip was work related, i couldn't do any work from the hotel. its going to be in the mid-70s today... i'm hoping to get a lot of stuff done and leave early.
***note to self- BRING BROOKS FORK IN.

burning holes

the walt is done. waiting on decals and paint from these guys. i'm pretty excited. it could be awhile so i'm setting myself up for the long haul.
alien carbon on the way as well as a joystick and enduro light. sweet. twin tis with short axles are on the way too. now what else can i order? wait, don't ask that. but probably saddle and some thomson items. king's industry form allows 2 headsets per year. don't they know that some people have more than 2 bikes? ughhh...
oh crap, not to mention the items that have already burnt a hole... finally john's derailleur hanger, blackbox carbon levers, dt swiss 29er geared wheelset, dt swiss 240 mtb hubset, dt swiss 240 mtb ss hubset, stans ztr rims, moots ti post and some misc bontrager stuff. man it's gonna be fun when i can finally start completing builds. this industry rocks.

back to reality

made it back home early this afternoon. 3 days with 85 and sunny tends to get you a bit depressed that it'll be a bit before we'll be anywhere offroad. especially with this teaser weather. we enjoyed the sun anyway. nothing too exciting new for 08. new road stuff, couple additions to hydraulic brakes, nothing really new on the fork front and truvativ has a few crank updates. other than that it was a pretty stuffy meeting in salon 8 of the wyndham phoenix.
it was really nice to meet some of the distributors i haven't met yet after 7 years of working with most of them.
we had an incident with the bike case so the look didn't make the trip. john instead spent the week running and hiking around the boring blocks of the meeting area.
it would have been nice to have brought some bikes and hit south mountain, but there really was no time. we'll have to take a few days out of this coming year to hit somewhere other than the midwest.

my new frame is in the works. i hear the fork is done and the frame might be done. we'll see. i'm not gonna get too excited seeing as paint is what takes the longest. i have everything i need to build it so as soon as it hits the basement stand it'll be finished in a flash. single speed builds are the best. however, i did forget that there is a nice rattle sound in my stan's rim. m-effer. i'm guessing whatever it is floating around in there, i'm not going to find. no warranty either as stan didn't build it.
i'm also deciding on headset color. hmmm...

the sycip will be totally rebuilt as soon as the cash flow is there. i can't wait. it'll be totally different than anything i've built. the rig too. i have plans for that.

i've also pretty much decided on my ti frame. that'll happen as soon as the money is there. i'll talk to the builder soon though to find out exactly what it entails- cost, wait, etc. that'll determine when i go for it.

nada dos

nothing much going on. new parts are rolling in. spending a lot of time with the girls.














casey was the birthday star this weekend. we finally had her party. family and friends. good food and fun. john won the TdC stage on sunday. he took home a pretty nice trophy.
today zoe visited the doc. her croup-y cough was scaring me. she's got some decongestant and goes for a precautionary rsv test tomorrow.
john and i leave for phoenix on wed. fun for him, work for me.