Churlish Figure

Turning Into My Soul

2012-01-26T10:03:00.006-06:00

Hmmmm...

I'm not one much for labels. They only seem to cover one part of a person, but The Guy likes to tell me I'm an endurance athlete. I think that's pretty accurate, in many different ways.

I've lived most of my life, having to endure things. I'm not particularly patient, but I am diligent and if there is one thing I can do, it's endure. When I was younger, I endured the death of my mom, and the indentured servitude of my abusive legal guardians, my "lost" angry years, an abusive marriage (since I thought that's what I deserved) and the four years I spent reading, journaling and working on my self-esteem issues and insecurities, so that I would never again think I deserved an abusive relationship.

I counted down the hours and days until Stinky regained consciousness from her meningitis, and the minutes that seemed like hours for the tornado to slam into our basementless house and move on.

Here is a lone boxcar.

So, now that I know I can do it and I try to actively keep as much bad stuff out of my life as I can control, I don't worry so much about being happy and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Instead, I count the minutes of my brutal trainer work-out or the miles of my relaxing after work run. Every once in a while, I regret the time I wasted in bad situations in the past, but mostly, I'm too busy "enduring" the fun and athletic life I've worked so hard to create.

In a Country Where They Turn Back Time

2012-01-24T08:16:00.009-06:00

Here is pretty Heidi, all cute and sleeping.

I guess it's weekend synopsis post day today. Wanna hear it? Here is is:

Friday night was nice and mellow. We made dinner and then I got Stinky some Chinese take-out and a DVD and drove her to her friend's house, so they could have a girl's night. I got home and The Guy and I watched Good Bye Lenin! I really enjoyed it.

Me making the X with my ski poles. I'm not quite sure what that was for...

On Saturday, we went to Lake McBride to ski. The snow wasn't great, but we've been a little desperate lately. I felt like I was doing a little more awkward walking on the snow then fluidly gliding. After about an hour and a half, I was feeling a little migrainy. After last week, we didn't want to push it, so we went out for Mexican food for lunch and then came home and showered and took what turned out to be a two and a half hour nap. Jaysus!

The Guy under a very impressive tree.

After we woke-up, it was clear we weren't going to get any chores done around the house, so we headed over to the Dublin, to play some pool, have a drink and wait for Stinky to get off work. We decided on Chinese take-out. Apparently, Stinky was up for it a second night in a row and then we tried to make her hang out with us, but watching The Town. She did grace us with an hour of her time, but alas, she had better things to do and off she went with one of her friends.

A Grant Wood homage in Stone City, Iowa.

On Sunday morning, we were desperately trying to find somewhere to ski. We knew the temps were rising and there was some weird misting, that would wreak havoc on our shoddy snow. The Guy found a place outside of Stone City (an hour away) that looked like our best bet.

We drove there and some of the country roads were pretty slick, but manageable. The trails were wonderful, though. We skied for almost two hours, but it started getting sticky and hard to glide on, so we bagged it and headed into the town of Stone City.

The General Store in Stone City.

We stopped at the General store for lunch and beer. It was so nice and quaint and the staff was really nice. We will definitely come back to ski again this Winter and bike in the Summer.

The blurry but cozy pub with the wood burning fireplace.

We got home and putzed around the the house. I went to my friend G's for a bit and then picked up Stinky from work. We had salmon quesadillas (shut-up. The salmon was leftover and they were actually pretty good) and veggie tamales for dinner and then watched the South Korean movie, The Host. It was so bizarre but so good.

She Said It's Cold. It Feels Like Independence Day.

2012-01-20T11:30:00.005-06:00

Stinky with a friend on NYE. Her braces are doing a great job, don't you think?

Oh, and it's the weekend again. I just started reading Ann Patchett's, The Patron Saint of Liars yesterday and I really like it so far. I have been ridiculously obsessing about books lately. I went so many years as a single mom with no time to read, that I feel like I can't get enough literature in my current life. I am devouring novels and stories. I am voracious.

I've been Googling, and then printing "Best of" lists. Best novels of 2010, 2009, 2008, the first decade of this century, literary prize lists and then every month I get to go to Prairie Lights and buy a book or two. Of course, this is my latest excuse for not blogging very much as of late, but it's a good one, don't you think?

Coadster with some friends, around Christmas time.

Last night was very nice. We invited a woman named Jess, who is a bartender at the Dublin and her boyfriend over for dinner. I made brown sugar glazed and garlic butter baked salmon, savory sweet potatoes, a Greek salad and sourdough bread. We had a nice talk and listened to music and we were all done at a decent hour, because it was a school night. I do believe having a couple of people over for dinner is one of my favorite ways to socialize.

So Will You Catch Me Now I'm Falling

2012-01-17T13:24:00.005-06:00

The Guy at the top of the hill I was about ready to herring bone up.

This three day weekend was lovely for the most part. On Friday we had some people over for fish tacos. We ate and drank and talked and knew it was time to go to bed after our friend S.'s boyfriend started doing his Tom Waits impersonation and we couldn't stop laughing.

On Saturday, we got up and The Guy went to the cross-country ski trails and I stayed home and did a work-out for an hour on the bike trainer. He came back with good news. There was enough snow to ski on. We headed to the trails and skied until it got dark. It was so very nice.

We stopped at the Dublin for a drink and a pool game or two on the way home. I actually won my first pool game ever. Yea!

I had made up a pan of lasagna before we left to ski, so all I had to do was put it in the oven and put the beet salad together and we were ready to eat. We watched Midnight in Paris. Woody
Allen can be pretty hit and miss with me, but I thought this movie was just good escapism.

The Guy all lousy with cats. Archie wants to touch Heidi with his paw so badly, but he doesn't want her to get up and move away either. Poor guy.

We went skiing bright and early on Sunday morning, since we knew that the snow was going to melt by afternoon. Of course, I forgot how exhausted I'd be after working-out for 3 hours the day before. By the time we had skied for almost 2 1/2 more hours, I was so tired that I forgot all function or form and fell hard on my back down a hill. I heard a loud cracking sound from my neck and my left arm suddenly felt very, very hot. I was dizzy, but I could move my fingers, so I got up and slowly, VERY slowly, skied back to where we were parked. It was pretty scary.

The Guy took me out for sushi for lunch, but we decided to nix our later afternoon swimming plans and just took a nap instead. We had leftover lasagna for dinner and then The Guy went to play pool with his friend Bry, while I laid around on the couch and read my Prohibition book.

Yesterday I woke up sore and had some whiplash. Luckily, I didn't have to go to work yesterday. I needed the rest. I'm taking at least another recovery day, before I try to work-out again. It's not hard to listen to your body, when it's screaming at you, is it?

I'd Rather be a Comma Than a Full Stop.

2012-01-13T13:04:00.006-06:00

The asshole, peaking out from the kitchen sink.

Winter finally came down hard on us Iowans yesterday. Making up for lost time, I suppose. It snowed and got blustery and cold.

The Guy and I shoveled snow right after work, and then we ordered pizza. We drank a couple of glasses of wine and watched The African Queen. I do like watching movies that take place in extreme heat when it is ridiculously cold outside. I hadn't seen the movie since I was a kid, and I had forgotten how deliciously schmaltzy it was.

The asshole in a more pensive state.

I am happy to report that Archie did let me sleep last night. I gave each of the cats a small handful of food before I went to bed and locked them out of our room. I heard Archie meow at one point, but ignored him and he stopped once he realized he wasn't getting what he wanted. Whew!

This weekend is the first in a while where we don't have big things planned. We are having a few people over tonight for fish tacos and frijoles. The rest of the weekend should be pretty mellow...I hope. I want to swim and ride the trainer and run and if we get really lucky, we might actually be able to cross-country ski. My other big goal is to finally paint the trim in the spare bedroom and read as much of my book, Last Call (about Prohibition) as possible. Thank the gods and goddesses, I have three days off to try and do all of this.

You Know I'd Give You Everything I've Got For a Little Peace of Mind

2012-01-12T13:27:00.005-06:00

Wisconsin sure does love its kitschy cows.

My cat is a total asshole. He woke me up several times last night. The last time, I must have had my head down, so he put his claws (he did try to be gentle) into my scalp. I got up and gave him a kitty time-out in the spare bedroom.

Even more kitschy Wisconsin cows.

I'm not sure what the best solution is. If we lock him out of the room, he sits by the door and meows. Loudly. I think tonight. We'll start with locking him out of the room and if he starts to meow, we'll put him in the spare bedroom. We also might give him a handful of food before bed too. We've been trying to watch how much we feed him because he's getting so fat, but I don't think it would kill him to get just enough food, to make him sleepy.

If not, I might have to figure out a way to make sure he stays awake during the day, so he's actually tired and sleeps at night. Stupid, dumb, cat.

And My Time Was Running Wild

2012-01-10T09:54:00.011-06:00

This is what the course looked like - all frozen ruts. Really tough to ride on.

This weekend The Guy competed in Cyclocross Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin. He actually finished 7 places higher than predicted. Which was great.

The Guy taking the first hill.

We drove to Madison after work and went straight to Pizza Brutta to eat. After that we headed to my brother's house. He was away on vacation, so we had the place to ourselves...Well, if you don't count the dog and cats. Basically, we took care of the pets and then went to bed.

The obligatory cheese head. This is Wisconsin, after all.

We woke up early on Saturday and headed to the park. It was cold and after the previous muddy days, all the ruts had frozen and were so hard, they were popping people's tires right and left, plus people were sliding and crashing all over the place. The Guy said he crashed more in that one race than in all the other races this season combined.

The winner of The Guy's race and a former mountain bike Olympian athlete.

After the race, we met my oldest sister at her townhouse. I had never seen it before and it was very nice. We all went out for lunch at an Indian restaurant that had the best buffet I'd ever seen. So much good food.

Me taking more photos of myself next to things with bigger cheeks than mine.

We drove back to Iowa City and showered and then I picked up Stinky and some take-out sushi. After we ate, we decided to finally watch Singin' in the Rain. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid. What a fun movie.

The Guy shooting pool at the Ice House in Riverside, Ia.

On Sunday I woke and had a very leisurely morning. I read some and took a long hot bath and then by 12:30, The Guy and I were on our bikes, headed for Riverside, the future birthplace of James Tiberius Kirk. We had a nice ride and when we got there, we hung out at the Ice House and ate lunch, had a couple of pints and played a few games of pool. I tried to ride pretty hard on the way home, to see if I was getting stronger from my trainer work-outs. I did feel stronger. I guess we'll see what happens when I race again in the Spring.

On Sunday night, we watched the Exorcist. The last time I saw it was in 1983. The only parts I really remembered about it where the demon possessed Linda Blair scenes. It still was able to creep me out, all these years later.

I hope you all had a Linda Blairless weekend.

I walked Down the Primrose Path

2012-01-04T14:11:00.008-06:00

Riding into Hills on New Year's Eve day.

Sooo, I've been told I have this thing called a blog? And that I might want to actually write in it again? Yeah. That. Anyway, here goes:

Archie helping us play Twister on New Year's Eve.

New Year's weekend was all so very nice. On Friday we went to a friend's house. They were planning on watching the Hawkeye bowl game. We came for the food, basically and played frisbee golf on his Playstation 3. I'm better at real frisbee golf - which still isn't saying anything.

Us ringing in the Irish new year at 6.

On Saturday we woke up and lounged around the house. We met some friends for a New Year's Eve bike ride at noon. It was 50 degrees but ridiculously windy. Luckily, we had a tail wind on the way home.

The Guy and some friends showing off their steppin'-out shoes.

We came back from the ride, took a quick nap, and then headed out again for the Irish New Year. It was packed at the Dublin, but I got to see a mess of people and had one drink and then we scurried back to make the fondue and other food.

Fondue'ing and fondon't'ing.

We ended up with about 10 guests and played Pictionary, Twister and Battleship. I had a migraine for most of the day and evening and shortly after midnight, I finally had to go to bed. The Guy stayed up with the few guests who lived within stumbling distance from their homes and therefore stayed until around 2. A good time seemed to be had by all.

The cats vying for the best birdwatching spot on the couch.

I woke up on the first day of the New Year with a lingering headache. The Guy was wonderful and did all the cleaning-up from the party. I did manage to make a delicious breakfast and then spent the rest of the day reading. I finished Swamplandia! and started Truth and Beauty a Friendship, by Ann Patchett. We also watched the movie Cowboys and Aliens. My friend Toby had a small part in it and I got t see him get dragged away by horses. The movie was much better than I thought it would be.

I hope all of your New Year's were just as wonderful as mine, but migraine free.

We Love All the People and We Love to Rock the House

2011-12-30T10:21:00.004-06:00

Here is the mall, taken from the bowels of some annoying teen clothing store where they played a song that sampled the Clash's "Revolution Rock". Wow.

Well, kids it looks like we're reaching the end of another year. This year was so great, I can only be excited about next year.

Our plans for New Year's Eve look like this: We will try to go for a bike ride during the day, since it's supposed to be 50 degrees again. Then hit the Dublin Underground for Irish New year at 6. We'll head home by 7 and have a few people over to play board games and eat fun snacks - including fondue. I'll let you know if we actually stay awake for the American New Year at midnight.

May next year be even better than this year for all y'all.

It's the Smiling on the Package, It's the Faces in the Sand

2011-12-28T11:57:00.009-06:00

Here is some Christmas Eve graffiti I saw when I was running.

Christmas weekend was good. On Friday we ate shrimp scampi pasta and watched the movie The Family Stone.

On Saturday, I got up and went running. The girls and I scurried around getting ready to go to Ottumwa. We got to see my sister's family - which was the main reason we go down there. Her kids were fun and all hopped up about the holiday.

We headed home a little later than I wanted, but made it home before 10. The Guy got home from his mom's house about 2 seconds before us, so we all talked about our separate celebrations and then went to bed.

The Guy and I woke up on Christmas day and waited for the girls to get up...And waited, and waited...Finally, we had French toast for breakfast. The Guy was feeling like he was catching a cold, so he took a little nap. While he was asleep, the girls finally got up and went through their stockings. They seemed quite happy with what they found in there.

The Guy woke up and the girls gave us their gifts. Stinky painted us a picture to hang in the living room, and Coadster bought us books on the history of Prohibition, a book about the perfect bike and a biography of Kurt Vonnegut. She knows us well.

The Guy's mom stopped over after she got out of church, and we all went out for sushi lunch together. It was very nice, and we stuffed ourselves. I tried to run a couple hours later, but my belly still wouldn't let me. Instead, I opted to lie around and read my book Swamplandia! It is pretty bizarre and wonderful.

Later in the evening, my friend G. called to tell me stories of her evening out at the bar on Christmas Eve. About halfway through, I asked her if she just didn't want to come over and have dinner with us. it wasn't anything special, just grilled cheese and tomato or chicken noodle soup, but she ate with us anyway.

We had a great talk and laughed a ton before we lost G. to the bar again. We finished the night by watching the movie, Heathers. Both the girls had a great time making fun of all the 80'sness about it. By the end of the holiday weekend, I felt like we had covered all the bases.

But have a Cup of Cheer

2011-12-23T13:11:00.004-06:00

This is what I get for coming to work today. An eyeful of this. Eek!

So, I have a few hours left before my long holiday weekend. I just want to wish you all a safe and fun holiday, whatever you celebrate, and if you don't celebrate, I hope you enjoy your lack of celebration as well.

The girls and I will be heading to Ottumwa on Christmas Eve for a few hours and The Guy will go to his mom's to make oyster stew and watch It's a Wonderful Life with her. On Christmas day, I hope we can get my girls and The Guy's mom all together for sushi for lunch - just like how my Irish ancestors spent the holiday.

Soooo, yeah....RAWK!

It's Begginning to Not Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-22T13:21:00.003-06:00

Here is an icy, snowy creek.

So, yeah. I hear there's some kind of big holiday coming up here...Oh yeah. Christmas. It just doesn't feel like it to me this year. I think a lot of it is that there isn't any snow. Last year about this time, we got a good, old fashioned snow storm and it suddenly got all seasonal.

This year, we haven't seen any of that. The nice thing, is that it's pretty warm for this time of year and there isn't ice all over the streets and sidewalks, so I've been able to run and bike outside for the most part.

I have most of my shopping done and plans for Christmas Eve and so I suppose Christmas will be here, whether it seems like it outside or not.

Laughing and a Running. Hey, hey.

2011-12-19T12:52:00.009-06:00

Another snapped derailleur from the mud.

This weekend was so great. You'd think I'd get tired of all of these wonderful weekends, but I'm so busy appreciating them, that it hasn't happened yet.

A carnival ride Wintering at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.

On Friday night, The Guy took me out for Thai food and then we went home and watched Christmas in Connecticut. We both love those cheesy old movies, but like I said to the guy, the characters all seem like they're totally drunk during the entire move.

Archie wearing my wool gator.

On Saturday, we did a bunch of things around the house. Nothing all that very exciting, but nice to have done. We rode out to the Fairgrounds around 11:30 to ride bikes in the mud and to take them over the fly-over thing and I wanted to get better and faster at trudging up a muddy hill with my bike too.

It turned out that the mud was too much for my derailleur and it snapped again. The Guy rode his bike home and drove back to pick me up. The Guy also put a new derailleur on for me. There's really nothing better than a handy man, is there?

Heading to Augusta's.

In the afternoon, we went to swim laps with our friend JH. It was the first time since I trained for the triathlon in September that I had done any swimming at all. I was surprised at how strong I still felt. Of course, seeing myself in a swim suit in December in Iowa wasn't much fun, but it was good motivation for me to get busy with my Winter training, at least.

In the evening, we stopped at the Dublin to see our favorite bartender, S. His hot wife was there and a few other friends, so we had a nice talk with everyone until we realized it was time to eat and we headed to Mickey's. The Guy was good and he had black bean soup and a salad, but I had cheese fries. Apparently, cheese fries can make me forget all about Winter training.

The best Bloody Mary I've ever had. Merry Christmas to me.

On Sunday, we got up and got more stuff done on the house. We taped and primed the spare bedroom. Now, all we have to do is paint.

We took off for Oxford, Ia. on our bikes. It was a 50 mile ride, and the longest we've ridden in months. the weather was amazing. Almost 50 degrees in December. Crazy. We had a great ride and I still felt pretty strong on the bike. I hope I can keep all this up over the Winter.

We got to Oxford in time for brunch. Mimosa's and Bloody Mary's were on sale and one of their entrees was poached eggs over crab cakes, covered in hollandaise sauce. Yes, you read that right...Oh, and did I mention that the Bloody Mary's had a slice of the best bacon I've ever had in them too? I don't eat much meat, but if I'm going to, I choose perfectly cooked bacon, dipped in Bloody Mary. Yum.

This the amazing brunch we had.

We rode home and made it, right before it got dark. We had just enough time to get the spare bedroom back together before Coadster and her boyfriend came home. We all watched Good Morning Vietnam together. I hadn't seen it since it was out in theaters in the 80's. I was surprised at how well it held up. Both Coadster and her boyfriend were laughing out loud at some of it.

Sooooo, good food, fun older movies, great work-outs, a couple of drinks, awesome friends, several laughs and time with the family. My recipe for a perfect weekend.

Pushing the Barriers, Planting the Seeds

2011-12-16T09:32:00.004-06:00

Cara sucia.

So, cyclocross season is officially over for me this year. The Guy is going to race in nationals in Wisconsin in January, but I'm done until next Fall.

According to the national rankings, I was 185th out of 346 in the 45+ master's women's category. Although, the woman in 117th place in the standings was 71 years old. (How awesome is she?)

It's not like I came anywhere near the front of the pack at any point, but I started the season being dead-ass last in my first couple of races and did better and better as it progressed. I think the hardest part, was not to give up after my first couple of last places.

After Jingle Cross, a woman in her early twenties called me an inspiration. I laughed and joked that I was inspiring, because if someone as old as me can do this, anyone could. She stopped me and said, "No. You're inspirational because you always look like you're having so much fun and you are so supportive of the other women riders." Having someone say that to me, felt better than actually winning a race.

It's You and Me and All Other People

2011-12-15T10:37:00.009-06:00

The Guy competing in the State Cyclocross Championships.

I figure I should probably try to post on here at least once a week....

Last weekend was ridiculously social. My friend E. came over for dinner on Friday night. We had a great talk and I love it that my girlfriends can come over and feel free to have a completely open conversation and not feel the least bit self-conscious around The Guy.

She left around 9:30, so we watched a Nurse Jackie episode instead of Armacord, before we went to bed.

This man goes to every cyclocross race in Des Moines and tries to give people a can of Hamms while they're racing.

Saturday we woke up early. I dropped Stinky off on campus, so she could take her ACT's before we headed to Des Moines.

Sometimes people take a break from their races to drink...Even for Hamms.

I didn't race, because I wussed-out. It was cold and the race was longer than I'd ever done and the only few people who rode were super good, die-hard types and I didn't want to end my season being last. So, yeah. I know it was lame, but I chose not to. The Guy chose to and got 3rd in his category, even though he had to stop for mechanical problems.

The Guy finishing his last cyclocross race in the state of Iowa for the year.

After the race, The Guy and I went back to El Baitshop for lunch and a beer or two, before we drove back to Iowa City.

Some of our friends on the garage trainer ride party. What we do for fun in the Winter in Iowa.

In the evening, The Guy and I went to our friend J's house for a little wine drinking. Our friend's Ted and Katie were also there. We had a great talk, but I drank WAY more wine than I wanted. I have to be so careful and count my drinks, because I can't keep up with the big kids. But J. kept filling my glass when I wasn't looking and so I got a little messy (er).

The food was excellent.

Sunday started our VERY slowly for me. The Guy was amazing and took care of everything before our party. I slept a lot. I finally got up, took some Advil and a shower and was ready to cook. I made some soups and some corn bread and guac to go with the black bean chili. A friend of mine supplied Christmas cookies and fruit dipped in caramel, to counteract all my healthy. Gawd love her.

We had a crappy beer tasting (I abstained). PBR was the loser, followed by Schlitz and then Rolling Rock was the winner.

The garage trainer riding party ended around 7'ish, after some love was given to Archie. The Guy and I finished up the night and our weekend, with a viewing of Raising Arizona. I hadn't seen it in forever, and I was so glad I did. Perfect.

My Beacon's Been Moved Under Moon and Star

2011-12-09T09:47:00.004-06:00

Here is me holding a dead sunflower upside down. Nice.

The weekend is here already and I'm excited. We'll see what happens, but right now I'm planning on racing in the state championships in cyclocross in Altoona. I am giving myself an out, in case it's rdiculously cold or they got a ton more snow than we did. But I'm going with the intention of racing.

Tonight, I'm going with my easy stand-by dinner - shrimp fajitas with beans and guac and salsa. We're having a friend come over for dinner, and we might actually try to watch a Fellini film - Armacord.

I'm also hoping to finish my book, Bel Canto and start Swamplandia! this weekend. Stop back in for next week's post, where we see what actually gets done over the weekend...

And Clouds are Shrouding Us In Moments Unforgettable

2011-12-05T10:46:00.007-06:00

Yeah. It's been a while, but I guess I'll just write about last weekend.

On Friday evening, we went to The Guy's employee Christmas party at the press box above Kinnick Stadium. It was really nice. They had an open bar for most of it and served excellent poached salmon and potato cakes and salad.

I got to meet a lot of the people The Guy talks about and now can put a face to the names when he tells me work stories. I also got to meet the physical therapist who helped The Guy recover from his accident. I told her she was a miracle worker, but she said it was all due to The Guy working so hard.

The Guy's boss and her husband went to the same high school I did, and her husband is friends with my brother-in-law's brother. I guess as they were leaving, The Guy's boss' husband turned to her and said, "Hey, you know who she is? She's the runner girl we used to always see when we lived on the the East side of town." I suppose there are worse things to be known for...

Heidi is quite happily sitting in her box.

On Saturday, I woke up feeling kind of wonky and icky. I wasn't sick, just, you know, a little funky and out of sorts. I got some stuff done around the house and did some sitting around. I'm sure the gloomy, rainy weather didn't help my mood at all. I did warn the guy not to take anything personally if I was a bit cranky.

In the afternoon, we got a little break from the rain, but it was still slick out. We decided to go for a bike ride. Because moving is about the best thing I can do for myself when I am at all wonky. Of course, it can also be dangerous. Like, say, when I'm riding my bike in the slippery grass and turn onto a slipperier wet, wood bridge and crash my bike. Nice!

The quarter round The Guy cut for the spare bedroom.

I felt better emotionally after our bike ride, which is what I was hoping for. So, we decided to have a drink at the Dublin, since our favorite bartender S. was working. I showed him my new sore on my shin, from the accident and he said it looked like an exclamation point. I had to agree. My injury seemed way more important with such strong punctuation. After our drink, The Guy and I went to Graze, where we had a lovely dinner and talked about training for next Spring. We went home and watched Super 8 after dinner. It got a little schmaltzy at the end, but the kids in the movie were about the same age we were in 1979, so that part was really fun.

Some hummus and beet salad with blue cheese dressing and walnuts.

Part of our talk about training, had to do with our eating habits. We both love food and I will never be one of those people who starves myself in order to get in shape. So, instead, I try to make good healthy food. This weekend I cooked up sweet potatoes, beets, tofu, made hummus and cut up a bunch of veggies. I figure, the easier it is to eat good food, the more I will eat it instead of getting into Stinky's chips or poptarts or whatever. So far, it's worked pretty well. When I got hungry, I just threw some sweet potatoes in the microwave or dipped carrots and zucchini in the hummus and it was all very nice.

Getting ready to head back out on the bikes.

Sunday was a much better day. The Guy cut all the quarter round for the spare bedroom while I cooked up a storm. Then in the afternoon, we went on a bike ride. It was cold outside and there were tons of deer out there (since it's now shotgun deer hunting season here) but it was so nice to ride our bikes to Solon and back (about 30 miles). We stopped at the Solon Station for one quick beer before we rode back. Our feet were freezing by the time we got home, but we were both really, really happy.

Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again

2011-11-30T13:06:00.013-06:00

So, Thanksgiving weekend was long and wonderful and crazy. On Wednesday evening, the Guy and I decided to go get a beer at the Dublin, since our favorite bartender, S. was working. We then tried a new restaurant called Basta. The food was pretty good. I got the butternut squash ravioli and The Guy got sea scallops. We went home with bellies full of food and watched the movie, The Queen with Coadster.

Stinky foolishly thinking she could take a nap on Thanksgiving without getting dog piled. Not in this family.

On Thursday, I woke up and started making au gratin potatoes. The Guy went down to Ottumwa with us and met more of the extended family. He didn't run out of the house screaming, but he said he did understand more of the crazy family dynamic better. I guess that's what holidays are all about...

Everyone but me.

We drove home and he went to his mom's for a bit and I stayed home and hung out with Coadster for most of the evening.

All the cousins. Super silly.

On Friday, we woke up early again and tried to get ready for our afternoon race.

All of my siblings, but one showed up around 11. We ordered Chinese take-out and all had time to chat and catch-up, before The Guy, my brother and I went to Jinglecross Rock.

Here is me terrified on Saturday morning. I had never raced in rain and mud before.

On Friday evening, I raced and it was fun. We had a bunch of friends watching and I am finally getting good enough to have people to race with, as opposed to watching everyone go way ahead of me and me riding by myself until I get lapped. Progress!

After the race, we met my brother and his wife and daughter at The Mill for dinner. It is where my brother and his wife first met, and they had never been there before.

Turns out, I loved riding in the mud and beat more people than ever before.

On Saturday we got up and it was raining. I knew it would be and I was soooo stressed-out about riding under those conditions. I did great in it. Better than normal and had a blast in it. I can't tell you how many men I passed too. Nice!

The Guy had a good race too. Well, if you think racing well in the mud is good.

After our Saturday race, we just went home, showered and went out for sushi. In the evening, we watched the move, The Descent. It was creepy enough and had one of those non-Hollywood endings. Stinky popped her head in the living room for two seconds, but then when she saw the movie, ran off. She said even though she had already seen it, it still freaked her out.

Sunday was our last race. It was cold and I was exhausted, but still happy to ride the course. I'm pretty surprised at just how much I love cyclocross.

In the middle of the day on Sunday, they have the Speedo single speed race, which is really just an excuse for people to wear bikinis and mud wrestle...And who would ever want to stop people from doing that?

Raise Your Head and Wear Your Wounds With Pride

2011-11-23T12:52:00.002-06:00

This is what the floor looked like when we started - all full of carpet backing and whatever they used to stick the carpet on with.

So, before the holiday starts, I thought I'd finally do a post from last weekend....Which I obviously didn't finish or really start much at all.

Here it is all sanded. It was a bitch to scrape all that black stuff off without ruining the floor.

Sooo, now that Thanksgiving is over, I'll finally post last weekend's entry. As you can see, we finally finished the floor in Coadster's old room with a lot of help from our friends' Jo Ann and Stacy. They were so wonderful to come over and use up at least 4 hours of their Saturday.

Here is the finished product. So lovely and that made it worth the work.

I wasn't able to go to my friend T-Rip's wedding, since this took way longer than I thought (like everything does).

On Sunday I raked leaves for an elderly woman. Lots and lots of leaves.

When I finally finished that, it was time to play. We went to the mountain bike trails and rode all around Lake MacBride. Beautiful.

Very beautiful.

It's Different Now That I'm Poor and Aging

2011-11-21T16:05:00.003-06:00

Here is a picture of Heidi getting ready to give Archie the smack-down. You really can't blame her.

I have a longer weekend post coming, but we're too busy at work for me to finish that today.

Instead I will share a lovely text exchange I had with the oldest. I texted her to make sure she was going to eat dinner with me and The Guy tonight and to tell her I love her. This was her response:

I am going to have dinner with you guys! I love you too! Your cat just threw up.

Apparently, Archie doesn't deserve any exclamation points. Poor cat.

Burnin' a Special Substance. They gonna Pray for that Man

2011-11-18T13:07:00.007-06:00

Archie in a box.

I have so much planned for the weekend, but I have no idea what I'll actually be able to fit into it.

Archie making a fort out of his box.

So, right now, all you get are adorable cat pics. I'm not sure whether to say, "Sorry" or "you're welcome."

Yes, the beer is called Lunasea, Hmmm.

Coadster should be home this weekend. I spent most of last night at a banquet for Stinky's youth group, where I met many perky christians. Not that there's anything wrong with that...But I did watch an episode of Dexter when I got home, just to balance things out.

I hope you all have a great weekend and that it is less busy than mine. I'm leaving work an hour early, to go rake leaves, since tomorrow is the last day the city will come and pick them up for free.

You Know I've Seen a Lot of What the World Can Do.

2011-11-16T12:50:00.005-06:00

I took this at The Living history Farms in Des Moines. It's a little crooked, but fitting for the subject matter, I think.

Oh, you know...I don't have a lot to say, or I do, but I don't have time to process it all. What the hell, I'll just blather on anyway.

Things are just fine at home. The Guy and I are happy as clams. We are having a little cooler day reunion party for the Monday Night Ride tonight. It's too cold for anyone to really want to ride at night here, but we are still going to have the normal riders over for Mexican food and drinks. The Guy was wonderful in helping me cook. We made veggie enchiladas, and refried beans and de gallo salsa. When I get home tonight, all I have to do is make guacamole, finish refrying the beans and put the enchiladas in the oven. With dinner parties, I've found the less cooking or drink making I have to do, the less stressful it is. I'd love to serve margaritas from scratch, but I wouldn't love to spend the whole evening, trying to make them. So, instead we're drinking beer and some sipping tequila. Let's hear it for simplification!

Oh, sure. It is a subtle beauty, but I do like the look of Iowa.

I get off work early today to sift through Stinky's senior picture proofs and pick the ones we like the best. I'm looking forward to that.

From what I hear, my friend G. had a bad day yesterday. I'm sure she's reaching the saturation point with her headaches. Her chiropractor was going to work with another friend of her's to arrange coming over to help with her pain and I told G. about a good physical therapist to go to, but I can't make her go. G. is at home for now, so all I can do right now, is wish her the best and let her know that I'm here if she needs me. I will post on here the second I hear that her headaches are finally gone. I can't wait for that day.

Just Another Day for You and Me in Paradise.

2011-11-14T13:07:00.008-06:00

Archie "helping" me make the bed.

Thank the gods, this weekend was so much better than last. On Friday, I made a quick meal of miso soup, salad and steamed shrimp gyoza with spicy plum sauce. We ate we drank a couple of cocktails and then we watched the newer Tron movie. It was okay. It was very 80's and the music sounded a lot like a porn soundtrack to me - not that any of those are necessarily bad things, just observations...

The back end of the mountain bike trails at Sugarbottom.

Our original plan this weekend was to work with our friend Joanne to sand and refinish the floors in Coadster's old room. At the last minute, we found out that G. would be staying with us on Sunday night and not just during the day today. I didn't think that strong smell would work well with G.'s excruciating headache, so we're putting it off for another week.

The Guy coming out of the pine woods on the course.

The best part about that, is that the weather was beautiful here for November and we got to go out and play both days. We took our cyclocross bikes out on the mountain bike trails and had a blast. It was so fun riding through the woods and next to the lake and trying to figure out how to maneuver through hills and rocks and roots and not crash. It was such a great stress reliever after last week.

My handlebars at the brink of the bridge.

On Saturday night, we went out for one drink and then had Indian food. When we got home, we settled in on the couch and watched. E.T The Guy had never seen it before. After it was over, I asked him if it was cheesy enough for him. He agreed that it was pretty cheesy.

The Guy trying to figure out how to take photos and send them from his new phone.

On Sunday we went out for Mexican food as a late lunch after our bike ride and then home. I picked up G. and The Guy made some potato leek soup, while G. slept.

G, is doing much better, if only we could get rid of that nasty headache she still has....

You Float Like a Feather in a Beautiful World

2011-11-11T11:38:00.006-06:00

The only smiley one.

Okay. This will be a quick and dirty post...just not all that dirty. Sorry.

I'm a fan of the black and whites.

So, I took Stinky to get her senior pictures taken yesterday afternoon, and we're both pretty happy with the ones we've seen. We went to a friend of a friend's studio and it was soooo much better than the guy we went to for Coadster's. This guy was cool, he worked out of a house and put on an old Radiohead CD during the studio session.

The color ones turned out well too.

Stinky wanted some outdoor shots down by the river, because I had taken some of her and her sister when they were little and there was one sculpture in particular that she wanted to be photographed in. Of course, Iowa in November made for some beautiful, if not very cold shooting locations.

We had to get at least one showing even a little bit of her attitude.

The photographer put a few of them up on his FB site. Most of them, I put on here for you all. next Thursday, Stinky and I will go through the hundreds of photos and pick out a few of our favorites to make into 8 x 10's and wallets. From the looks of things, it could be pretty tough to do that.
This is one of my favorites so far.

In other news...My friend G. is doing much better. She's actually eating and starting to get her short term memory back. She finally went to her own home. She is going to stay at our house from Sunday evening through Monday evening, because there is some construction work scheduled for her house. I can't wait to see her now that she is mostly conscious.

And the Water Rolls Down the Drain. The Water Rolls Down the Drain

2011-11-09T10:28:00.003-06:00

Here is a leaning gladiola that I grew in my garden.

So, a quick update on my friend G. She is out of the hospital but still has a looooong road ahead of her.

She is staying at a friend's house. Their house is very large and so she can sleep in a basement room that is completely dark and free from most noises. She is pretty much just sleeping. Her sister is a little worried that she isn't eating much, but I don't really want to eat when I have a migraine, so I can imagine being in that kind of pain can really kill an appetite.

Since we have no idea what to expect with her recovery, we're trying to make decisions about where she will stay and what kind of care she might need. The great thing about Iowa City, is that no matter what G. needs to heal, all of her friends will get together and make sure she gets it.

We Will Find You Acting On Your Best Behavior

2011-11-07T08:50:00.004-06:00

Me and The Guy's ex and G. and our friend S., stalking in the background at The Guy's Ex's juried art show.

So, this weekend was weird and took a sharp left turn at the end.

Friday night was fine. We went with some friends to check out a few jewelry pieces The Guy's ex has in a juried art show at one of the galleries. The plan was to pay our respects, and then go out for Thai food and make an early night of it, since I wasn't feeling all that too well. We did all that and it was lovely, but then, as things happen with a group of people, we ended up at the bar. I quickly realized that I was too tired and cranky to be out, and had to go home. Yeah, I know I'm lame, but that should come as a surprise to exactly none of you.

The Guy riding his bike on gravel.

On Saturday, I slept a lot. I woke up feeling a little better and I REALLY wanted to ride my bike. The derailleur on my bike got all screwed up after I tried to ride in mud last weekend, The Guy bought me a new one, fixed my bike and after a week, I was very excited to ride it. We chose to do a gravel ride. We'd never really done one before, and it was pretty cool. It's harder to ride on gravel, but you get to take cool roads out in the country, that are off the beaten path. although it was cold and windy and smelled all over like feedlots, it felt great to be out on the bike in the country.

When we got home, The Guy went out and rode some more, but I was still pretty tired, so I stayed home and started making dinner. I made shrimp fajitas, because they're quick and easy. We basically stayed in and talked and watched a few episodes of the first season of Nurse Jackie. I love that show, but The Guy has never seen it before.

At 1 am, I was awakened by a text from my friend D. asking me to call her. I texted back, unsure if that text was meant for me, and then she called me. She told me she was at the hospital. She was at the Dublin and some jackass decided to do a back flip, off of the stairs in a crowded bar. No one really knew what happened, but apparently, as he was coming down, he kicked our friend G. so hard in the face that he sent her crashing down on the cement floor. After he saw what happened, he took off running. My friend G. was left with a fractured skull, a slight brain bleed, a small nasal fracture, stitches in her mouth and above her nose and a bruised septum. Ouch!

I spent most of the day in the hospital with her. The Guy canceled his race and came with me for a while in the morning, but I think it's kind of hard for him to sit around without being able to do anything to help, and there was no reason for both of us to be there on such a beautiful day, so I told him he should go out and ride his bike. He took off and rode some mountain bike trails and it sounds like he had a great ride. He picked me up from the hospital after my friend Jen came into replace me and took me out for an early dinner. We went home and took a nap.

In the evening, The Guy met his friend Bry to play pool and I was so wiped out, I was happy to hang out at home and watch some of this season's True Blood episodes.

As of now, our friend G. is doing okay. She is in some pain, but there should be no long lasting effects. She is still in the hospital, but will hopefully go home soon. Whew!

I Hear the Crystal Raindrops Fall

2011-11-03T11:33:00.003-05:00

Stinky as a Marine (because their uniforms totally look like that. Ahem.) and Slash.

So, Hey. What say we talk about something other than cyclocross today? Okay.

I am finishing that memoir called Falling Through the Earth by Iowa grad Danielle Trussoni. It's pretty good, and next I will read a book by another Iowa grad, Anne Patchett. It's called Bel Canto and it's been on my list for a few years now. I'm pretty excited to start it.

The Guy and I started watching the first season of The Walking Dead series. It has some very real flaws, but it's about zombies so I'm more forgiving.

I tried doing some yoga to a video yesterday for the first time. I figured I'd better get acquainted with some of the poses, before I did it in public at a class. I don't want people to worrying that I'm having a seizure and calling an ambulance for me. It was pretty tricky trying to do some of the movements while following Rodney Lee in the video, but I think it will get easier and easier the more I do it, and it does seem to be a nice contrast with the pounding my body takes while running and jumping on and off of my bike.

Coadster and her BF on Halloween. I think she was supposed to be a 1920's gangster, but had lost her hat by the time this was taken.

...And now, for the good news. Coadster got accepted into a study abroad program in London for 12 days of Spring Break. They don't usually take underclassmen, but this will be the only year she can do it, and her grade point is very high. So, they made an exception. Go Coadster!

If You A Obstacle, She Just Drop You Cold

2011-11-01T15:06:00.009-05:00

Okay, kids. Here is what my weekend looked like. It was Halloween, it is Fall and we were at Living History Farms in Des Moines. So lovely, so fun. Best part? We topped it all off by seeing They Might Be Giants on Sunday night. I don't have any pics of that show, since The Guy and I were all the way up in the balcony and we were busy dancing our asses off.

I stole this pic of The Guy racing off of the internet. Please look at the writing on the bottom and know that I attributed the hell out of this.

Word on the street is that this woman laid down on the ground and let people spin her Twister board and put their hands and feet all over her. Sadly, I was racing then and missed the whole thing. Damn it!

We Could Be Sleeping in the Flowers

2011-10-28T12:58:00.003-05:00

Stinky and her friend carved pumpkins in the kitchen on Sunday evening.

So, this weekend will be a little busy again. Tonight I want to rest and watch a scary movie and I'm going to grill salmon and beets and sweet potatoes. One of my favorite meals.

The jack-o-lanterns with the lights out.

On Saturday, we'll wake up early and head to Des Moines for more cyclocross. This is supposed to be bigger race, which scares me a little, but I guess since it's Halloween, it's appropriate.

On Sunday we're going to help a friend of ours move in the afternoon and then go see They Might Be Giants in the evening. I've never seen them live, so I'm really excited.

She's Moving Out in All Directions

2011-10-27T13:06:00.006-05:00

Here is all the old black adhesive and carpet backing residue, left after we pulled up the carpet in Coadster's old room.

I had a great week so far. Monday night, we had the last Monday Night Ride of the season...Possibly. We rode out to a camping spot and had a fire and one of our friends met us out there with beer and stuff to make fish tacos. Very nice.

Here is a cute, cuddly (only because he's asleep) Archie in what used to be Coadster's room, that is quickly becoming the cat's room.

Tuesday was lovely and warm. Both The Guy and I went running on our own separate routes and met back at home. Where I made shrimp scampi with asparagus and served it with red sauce over penne pasta, with salad and bread. The Guy worked on taking the black crap off of the hardwood floors while I cooked. Then we were both pretty much exhausted.

Heidi with her reflective eyes.

Last night we did some cyclocross training in the park. I have a lot to work on, but I do feel like I'm slowly getting better and better at my skillz. When we got home, I heated up soup and pizza burgers and we just took it easy. We had a good talk about what kinds of things we wanted to do in the future and how we thought we'd train for them over the Winter. The Guy is a little more realistic than I am about such things. In my head, I can run and bike and swim all day every day. Right now, I think after Cross season is over, I might chill out for a bit and then get started making sure I swim at least once a week, do work-outs on the bike trainer a couple of times a week and run about 3 times a week. Of course, that will all go out the window if we get decent snow and I can cross country ski at any point.

And The World, I'll Turn It Inside Out, Yeah.

2011-10-25T10:11:00.008-05:00

Me taking a barrier with my bike.

So, as I said before, this weekend was insanely busy. Because I don't have tons of time, you get another photo essay of the busyness.

A lot of people rode their bikes through the sand here, but since we are all beginners, most of them only made it halfway through before they had to get off their bikes and it cost them a lot of time. I decided to go with my strengths and just run through it. I gained a lot of time by doing that.

This reporter interrupted a conversation I was having to ask if he could interview me for the local paper. The Guy thinks he chose me, because I don't ride with a team and he wanted to speak to a beginner. If that's what he wanted, he certainly got that with me.

The Guy and I after our races. The Guy got third in his and I did better than I ever have before. Saturday was a good day.

My brother, my sister-in-law and my brother's Little Brother and Stinky after dinner. It was nice to see them and we had a good talk. There was a big discussion about gender socialization that I thought might overwhelm The Guy, but he seemed totally into it and contributed quite a bit.

On Sunday a couple of friends joined us. Neither The Guy or I had as good a racing day, but we had a wonderful day in general.

Raise the Roof and Have Some Fun

2011-10-21T12:14:00.005-05:00

Here is a pretty bridge over pretty leaves. Fall is pretty in Burlington, Iowa.

So, my alone time, sitting on my ass watching Dexter last night was very lovely. I feel recharged and ready to take on the weekend activities.

Me hopping on my bike after jumping over a barrier.

The weekend activities look like this:

Tonight - get off work, frost pumpkin bars, pick-up a girl or two, run to a quick pumpkin carving party, leave a half hour later, pick-up The Guy, head to a sushi dinner with another couple, come home, pass-out.

Saturday - Wake-up, eat breakfast, get bikes and selves ready, head to a cyclocross race in North Liberty, race, come home, possibly nap, meet up with brother and sister-in-law and a couple of others for dinner, come home, pass-out.

Sunday - Wake-up, eat breakfast, get bikes and selves ready for the second day of the bike race in North Liberty, race, come home, head to a friend's house to help her work on her house, come home, pass-out.

Got it? Good.

My Head Keeps Spinnin'. I Go to Sleep and Keep Grinnin'.

2011-10-20T13:01:00.003-05:00

Here is a fallen tree. Pretty.

So, if you can't tell by the minimal postings on my blog, things have been crazy, busy here. We started working on the floors in Coadster's old room, but got sidetracked by practicing cyclocross and raking leaves and living our lives and everything else.

Tonight The Guy will be at his mom's house and Stinky will be at work until 10. I considered working on the floors while I'm home by myself, but then started thinking about how crazy busy we'll be tomorrow and the weekend and, and, and...I decided I needed a night to relax. So, my version of relaxing is to go running after work, bake some pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting and then sit on my ass and watch some episodes of the new season of Dexter I have recorded. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body, when it tells you to sit on your ass, right?

Cause the Free Wind Is Blowin' Through Your Hair

2011-10-18T12:25:00.010-05:00

Toasting to The Guy's Health and happiness.

I think I'm still recovering from this weekend. It was great and wonderful and, as always, we tried to cram as much into it as possible.
me at the derby with my favorite roller girl.

On Friday, I got home and Thy Guy and I went to work on the house. We went through every room and our storage area in the attic and the backyard and the garage and made a list of everything we wanted to get rid of, then we made a big pile in the garage with it. We also ripped up the icky carpet in Coadster's old room and threw that in for good measure.

I made tempeh reubens and salad and soup for dinner and watched a little Andy Griffith before we went to bed. Stinky was in the Quad Cities with her youth group and it sounds like she had a lot of fun there.

The Guy giving me some sugar at the derby.

We slept in until 7:30'ish on Saturday when Stinky pounded on the door, back from her youth group all-nighter thingy. She informed us that our friend S. was outside with his truck as well. The Guy and S. loaded up the pick-up and headed to the dump and to the architectural recycle store, and I took the cans and bottles back and ran another errand or two.

We got back and and got ready for our celebratory one year after The Guy's accident bike ride. We went to our friends' house. They just moved here from the Czech Republic and brought out this really good plum brandy, so we could toast The Guy. Very nice. We met up with some other friends, and rode our bikes to Hills for some Mexican food and back home for a nap.

The Guy running his bike up a hill.

Saturday evening, we picked up G. and headed to the roller derby. It was tons of fun and we drank beer and took dorky pics. When it was over, we dropped G off at a bar downtown and went home to bed, so we could get up early on Sunday.

Me all cheeky before the start of my race.

We headed to Burlington on Sunday morning. It was colder and sprinkled on and off, but the course was nice and easy, compared to some of the others. I raced the second full cross race, and I was much better at some things. I had a migraine and took my meds, which makes me spacey and my legs weak, but I felt like I was better about certain skills than I have been in other races. I didn't come anywhere close to winning, but I wasn't last and I learned a lot and had fun.

Me running my bike up a hill.

On Sunday evening, The Guy, Stinky and I finally ate dinner together. It wasn't anything all that exciting - just quesadillas with beans and guac and salsa and stuff to put on them, but it was great to hear all bout Stinky's weekend.

After dinner, I took Stinky to her youth group meeting and The Guy and I settled down to watch A Fish Called Wanda. It was a nice relaxing way to end a crazy busy weekend.

But You Had Just Enough Pathos to Keep Me Hypnotized

2011-10-14T11:01:00.003-05:00

The Guy loving up his cat.

So, this weekend marks the one year anniversary of The Guy getting hit at 55 mph by an F150 truck. He just had an x-ray and was given a clean bill of health...For now. We're not sure what will happen in the years to come, but right now, I think everyone who cares about him is feeling very lucky that things weren't as bad as they could've been and that he worked so hard to recover so well.

To celebrate, this weekend we thought we'd go on a bike ride and then to the roller derby on Saturday, and then do a cyclocross race on Sunday. There. That oughta defy the hell out of that bad experience.

I'm wishing all of us a "getting hit by a truck" free weekend.

We Could Get Together for Some Scenes

2011-10-10T11:12:00.009-05:00

Here I am climbing around on rocks and things.

This weekend just flew by again.

It's pretty nice to date a guy who will actually swing on the swings with you.

My sister and her kids came to stay with us on Friday night. The Guy had never met my sister before. We had a nice little chat, but then my sister had to get to a party and The Guy and Coadster and I went out for sushi. Coadster was in town just for about 24 hours, so it was nice to get to hang out with her again. We got home from dinner and watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Parts of it were hard to watch, but I thought it was interesting and I didn't get it figured out, like I do with some mysteries.

A couple of wacky cousins.

On Saturday, we woke up and tried to be very quiet not to wake up all of our guests. We went on the screened-in porch with our coffee and tea to watch the sun rise. After the kids rose, we all went to Village Inn for breakfast. Then we took the kids for a walk down the bike path behind our house and to the park.

The kids playing chicken on the monkey bars.

After all the kids left, I went for a run and The Guy went for a bike ride. The Guy also took a bunch of air conditioners to the dump, leftover from the previous owner and now we actually have tons of space in our storage area. Hurray.

The Guy running with his bike up the stairs at a cyclocross race.

In the evening, I grilled salmon and heated up a package of mushroom.spinach risotto and saute'd some zucchini and Summer squash for dinner. It was over 80 degrees here, so I felt like I had to at least grill something.

We watched a movie called Hell on Wheels - a documentary about the 2003 Tour de France. It was actually really interesting.

The Guy riding against a beautiful Fall backdrop in Iowa.

On Sunday The Guy and I went to Cedar Rapids for a race. The weather was wonderful again, and I really liked the course. Then, when I went to race, I jumped off my bike and was getting ready to carry it over a barrier, when I slipped on a leaf and over exaggerated my arm movement and popped my shoulder out a little. I popped it right back in, and got back on my bike to keep going, but it hurt too much to continually lift my bike up and had to drop out of my race.

My shoulder is fine and The Guy asked one of the sports docs in his office and he said I should be fine and will probably be able to race this weekend. Hurray!

That's Life. That's What People Say.

2011-10-07T10:03:00.015-05:00

Here is my quick and dirty photo expo catch-up.

Stinky had Homecoming last week and Friday's game had them all dressing like hicks... Er, Iowans. Whatever.

Saturday we went to Pella, Ia. - a town of mostly Dutch descendants. It's where they make the windows too.

I did my first cyclorcorss race there. It was fun and scary.

The Guy was wonderful and amazing at helping me figure out how to ride through all the twists and turns without killing myself.

Of course, I liked the parts where I had to run best.

When I got done, I felt like I was going to puke blood. How fun does that sound, huh?

The real Dutch letters are an S shaped pastry filled with marzipan - pure loveliness.

The fake Dutch letters were weird little maze things they made for us to run up and down hills on our bikes on the cyclocross course. Not so lovely.

After the race, we went to beautiful downtown Pella and ate Mexican food, bought pastries and wandered around a bit before going home.

Here is Stinky making what looks like wannabe gang signs for her Homecoming photos (quaint) but really stands for Work Crew, from the camp Stinky went to this Summer. How even more Iowan of her.

On Sunday I went to Ames to Coadster's choir concert and it was fine. It was one of those things, where I drove for 4 hours to watch Coadster sing in a gigantic choir for 15 minutes. I couldn't tell which one she was, but she saw me arrive and it made her happy and that's all that really matters, right?

Stinky got her braces put on Tuesday. I have no idea how exactly we'll pay for them, but I'm nothing, if not good at creative financing.

Anyway, things are good and busy and stressful and fun and scary and expensive and wonderfully full...About what anyone would expect from their life.

An Image of Me and Of You and We're Laughing. We're Loving It All.

2011-09-30T09:20:00.004-05:00

Stinky dressed-up for Nerd Day during Homecoming week at her high school. So, it's just like every other day...

Well, kids. This weekend should be full of stuff. The Guy's ex-wife is in town from Norway (the country, not the town in Iowa) with her two daughters. I went out and had a drink with her and The Guy's ex-girlfriend and another friend last night. The Guy already planned to meet his mom for dinner, so he couldn't make it. Some people think it's bizarre that this town is so incestuous and that I hang-out with The Guy's exes, but I liked them before I started dating The Guy, so why would I stop liking them now? I can't help it if The Guy has excellent taste in women.

it is Homecoming for Stinky. She doesn't have a date, so she will go with a group of other people going stag. I don't know if she really wants me to take photos this year, she said something about just taking my camera for the night. We'll see.

I think I'm going to try my first Cyclocross race this weekend. Eek! Wish me luck.

On Sunday, I'll head to Ames and watch Coadster in her first choir concert of the semester.

Whew! I'm tired just contemplating it all.

Try This Trick and Spin it, Yeah.

2011-09-28T13:31:00.005-05:00

Interesting sign, eh?

So, the birthday week last week went well. On The Guy's birthday, he got up early to take his mom to her cataract surgery. While she was getting operated on, he and I went to a nearby park and worked on our cyclocross skillz. He is one of those types who obsesses about a thing and studies it, until he can do it very well. I am one of those annoying people, who go out and tries a thing without studying it and flails around like an idiot until I either get it or don't. The Guy is a very patient teacher as well. He was great about talking to me about what I need to do to mount and dismount my bike and do a bunny hop and a million other things. I think I finally understood how to do a few of those things by the end of our training session.

We picked his mom up from her surgery and went to her house, where The Guy made us omelets (his idea) and they were very good. Then we went home and took a nap. Yea!

Our plan was to ride our bikes to Oxford and eat at the Cajun fusion restaurant there, but after a couple of flat tires, not far from our home, we decided to got a shorter route to Solon and back, and just stop quickly at a bar. The ride was very nice and we shared an order of cheese fries and had a beer at the Solon Station before we headed back. On the way home, I said, "I don't know if it's because I'm not quite over my cold or drinking that beer, but I'm feeling very slooooow."

The Guy responded, "Really? And you're not going to blame the cheese fries at all for that?"

"Uh, no. Cheese fries are always blameless and beautiful." The rest of the ride home was a little scary, because the damn deer kept jumping out in front of my bike and I had to make a total ass out of myself by yelling and waving my arms at them.

The Guy decided he wanted Paglias pizza for dinner, and then we ended the day with a raspberry cheesecake. He said he had a wonderful day.

Stinky at a football game on her birthday.

Stinky went to a football game on her actual birthday, but then had a pizza party on Friday. I went with her to the store to get all the crappy food and soda she wanted and set up a fire in the firepit, so all she had to do was light it when she was ready.

We took off for an hour or so, to give her and her friends the run of the house, without our heads exploding. When we got back, all the girls were hanging out in the kitchen, talking and being silly. They were all very sweet and polite and even when they went outside to have a fire, I only had to remind them once to keep it down a little, so they wouldn't freak out our older neighbors. Stinky said the girls all liked the idea of going out and socializing, but still being able to wear sweatpants. According to Stinky, She had a wonderful party.

I'm glad everyone was happy and that this week has been a little more mellow. Ahhhh.

Come On. Oh My Star is Fading.

2011-09-27T12:09:00.006-05:00

The shadow of myself.

This weekend The Guy did his first Cyclocross race in Des Moines. As I was still recovering from my cold and I didn't have the right clips on my shoes and I hadn't ever tried to even ride a cross course, decided to abstain from this one and hope to ride one this coming weekend.

The Guy charging over a barrier.

I had a blast just watching the race. I'm a little scared to do one myself, but I think the possibility of fun is outweighing my fear of getting hurt. I'll let you know if I'm singing a different song from my hospital bed after I actually race one...

El Bait Shop in Des Moines has an incredible beer selection on tap.

After the race on Saturday, we stopped at a cycling friendly bar The Guy read about on-line. it had an incredible beer selection and the bartender let us try all kinds of funky beers - ones made with chocolate and chipotle and raspberry. Very interesting.

The t-shirt The Guy won for getting 3rd place in his category on Sunday.

On Saturday night, we took Coadster and her boyfriend out for dinner. We wanted to do a family birthday dinner for Stinky, but since she had to work, we ate without her and will take her out another night.

On Sunday, we went back to the race and The Guy finished 3rd in his category. Pretty impressive. We went to Trader Joe's and stocked up, since we don't have one in Iowa City.

This weekend was also The Guy and my first anniversary. We've been through a lot this year, both good and bad and it's been great to have that support.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby

2011-09-22T10:50:00.003-05:00

Me and Stinky in the early '90's.

So, today is Stinky's 18th birthday. Where the hell did the time go? She has always been so sweet and salty. She's smart and funny and silly and open and lazy and a boundary pusher and a lover of attention (both good and bad) and I wouldn't have her any other way.

We normally go out for dinner for our birthdays, but there is a football game she wants to go to instead. Tomorrow, Stinky is going to have some friends over for pizza, a fire, some movies and a sleepover. We wanted to take Stinky out for her birthday when Coadster and her boyfriend were here on Saturday night, but Stinky works until 10. Wah. We're still working on finding an evening for that.

This morning, The Guy was telling Stinky that turning 18 used to mean that you got all of your freedoms, like being able to drink legally. Stinky interrupted him and said, "Yeah. Now it means that you can smoke legally, buy porn and go to a strip club." Wow. It sounds like she's got her work cut out for her today.

Happy Birthday, Stinky Boo Bear!

"To the Carnival", Is What She Said.

2011-09-20T12:46:00.003-05:00

The cool cats are having a birthday tomorrow.

Soooo, this week everyone in my house but me and Archie are celebrating birthdays. Tomorrow both The Guy and his cat, Heidi will acquire another year. The Guy will officially be a year older than me for another 9 months.

I'm taking tomorrow off work and so is The Guy. I'm not sure exactly what we'll do, but I have a feeling it will involve a bike ride, a good meal and a drink. For Heidi, I'm going to check out a cat toy one of my co-workers told me about that is a fake bird that chirps when a cat attacks it. Don't worry, I'll get one for Archie too - so that Heidi won't have to worry about him stealing hers.

Planet Earth is Blue. And There's Nothing I Can Do.

2011-09-19T10:46:00.006-05:00

Me being chased by the zombie invasion.

Sooo, I caught a bad cold and had to skip the triathlon on Sunday. I had to call it on Friday to get my fee deferred until next year. I just didn't think that me being sick + a 50 degree, rainy day +
a hard physical work-out for about 2 hours would add up to anything very positive. You know?

The Guy enjoying his zombie attack.

Friday night was really nice. The Guy took me out for Thai food and we came home and watched an old movie called, Desk Set. The last time I had seen it, was with my mom. Weird.

Here is a picture of me dancing behind The Guy. Dork!

The rest of the weekend was okay. I tried to clean Coadster's room and have everything ready for when she comes home, so she can go through her pile of crap and tell me what she wants to keep and what I can get rid of. I was pretty tired, so I would clean for a bit and then rest for a bit and then clean and rest and on and on. Of course, there was some nose blowing and sneezing going on in there too.

I took a nap and felt well enough to go out for a little bit on Saturday night. It was the zombie march in our town, and I love to check out all the costumes and obviously, the photo ops ain't bad either.

I'm feeling a little better today. I'm hoping to feel well enough tomorrow to start swimming, running and cycling, but I guess we'll see how that goes...

A Thousand Years in One Piece of Silver.

2011-09-14T10:16:00.006-05:00

Heidi fell asleep using "A Filed Guide to Iowa's Birds" as her pillow. I hope she had sweet dreams.

So, today I will drop some bookish names. Partly, because I love it when other people do it on their blogs and I get more reading suggestions, and partly because it is part of my story.

Yesterday RJT of Illiterati blog updated her FB status, raving about how wonderfully engrossing Justin Cronin's books are. She was talking about The Passage, in particular, but others were talking about all of his work. So, I Googled him and read some reviews. When I read that it was another vampire story, I almost stopped there. Not that I don't love vampires as much as everyone else, but I'm starting to reach my saturation point with them. I read on, and review after review complained about houses going to hell and marriages dissolving because the book was THAT distracting and addictive.

Archie was a little cranky that I was on the other side of the screened in porch from him. Big baby.

Even though I'm still only about 200 pages into the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon, and I have a to-read list about a mile long, I decided I must possess The Passage. I checked out Amazon and they had it for about $10 (not including shipping). Because I like to try to support local businesses, I stopped off at our local, independent book store, Prairie Lights over my lunch break.

I walked in and my favorite employee, Paul was working. He is just as big a book nerd as I am, and we are always happy to see each other. He came over and gave me a hug and asked me what I wanted. I told him and he said, "Oh, then. let's go upstairs and get you a signed copy of that." We walked up and another employee who I really like and on who's suggestion I bought Anne Patchett's latest book, State of Wonder, was working. I'm always happy to see her, as well. I got my book and looked inside and it was a first edition, paperback. Because it is signed, it might actually be worth some money someday.

I'm not exactly sure what the moral of this story is, except that for 4 more dollars, I got a free hug, and a signed first edition paperback. Not too bad at all.

I Look at the Floor and I See it Needs Sweeping.

2011-09-13T09:41:00.007-05:00

The beach where I trained on was pretty damn empty during the Iowa/Iowa State game last weekend.

I got quite a bit done this weekend. The Guy was sick, and I had a lot of time by myself, so I kept busy. On Friday we cooked trout on the grill and steamed asparagus and fried potatoes in garlic butter and rosemary. Then we watched the movie, Inception. The Guy had never seen it, and I thought all the action might keep him from falling asleep, but he said it did make him a little tense. Hey, at least he wasn't bored, right?

Me getting ready to put my bike in the car and then run a 5K'ish.

On Saturday, I got up and tried to get some practical stuff done and then ran an errand then finally went to the reservoir to train. I wandered around and took a few pictures before I started, then I swam (that open water swim will probably be the toughest part of the tri for me. The bike ride came next, and it's a route I normally do, so I feel pretty comfortable with it. I took another photo or two and put my bike and stuff away, before I started the run. A lot of the run is on a trail. I'm not sure of the exact route, so I winged it, and because I'm me, I got a little lost. Of course, it was a perfect day, and a beautiful trail, so it didn't bother me to wander/run around in the woods. It just took a little longer.

I got home in time to eat pizza and watch an Andy Griffith episode with The Guy before I went to my friend's treehouse party.

Me climbing up out of the trap door and into the top floor of the awesome treehouse.

Of course, by the time I got to the party, I had already worked-out for almost 3 hours and had some pizza, so I could have easily just stayed home and relaxed,(read: slept) but I did want to go and see my friends, so I made it through two drinks and a couple of hours before I went home.

The Guy and I watched a cheesy bike racing movie called, American Flyers. Kevin Costner with a pornstache. Need I say more. There were some cool cycling close-ups and there was plenty to laugh about with it, so I was very entertained.

Some of the boys at the party played some RAWK! music and G. and I decided that if they were going to play old Motley Crue, then we should at least do some head banging.

On Sunday, I got a ton of stuff done. I painted Coadster's room. I still have to paint the trim, but the walls are done and she picked out a really pretty silvery, purple color. So far, it looks really nice. I did some gardening and swept about a million acorns off of our back deck and then mowed the lawn - all before 12:30. After my chores were done, I went for a ride. I went back to the triathlon cycling route and extended it some more. It felt great.

The rest of the afternoon, I relaxed. I read my book on the porch for a bit, until my brother called, and I finally talked to him for a bit, and then The Guy took Stinky and I out for sushi. We got to hear about Stinky's trip to visit her sister in Ames and how much fun she had there.

By the end of the weekend, I think The Guy was finally feeling a little better and we had a nice talk. Now, I just hope I don't get sick right before the triathlon...

I'll Be There in a Hurry. You Don't Have to Worry

2011-09-08T12:54:00.004-05:00

I stole this photo off of someone's FB page. I have a feeling they stole it and I have no idea if it's even real, but it's funny. So, who cares?

On Friday evening, Stinky and I were getting home from the store when some hot hipster boy was walking past our house. He was being trailed by a bulldog. He stopped us and asked if we knew the dog. He said it and another, bigger dog had been following him and he didn't know what to do. I told him I'd take him and get him some water. It could be all bulldogs, but this one looked like he was frothing at the mouth and sounded like he was having a fatal asthma attack.

I tried to walk around the neighborhood with him, to see if anyone recognized him or see if his owner was looking for him. I had to stop after the bulldog liked some older guys dog so much that the poor man had to hang up his cell phone on his mom and help me separate the two. At least I left him with an interesting story to tell his mom.

I finally got the dog set-up in the breezeway with some water and The Guy set out some cat food that he didn't touch. He drooled and wheezed out there, stressing Archie out, while I called the cops. They said someone would be out to get him as soon as they could.

Having done all I could, I went to the kitchen and started getting things ready for shrimp fajitas. Because I'm almost as nosy as Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched, I like to look out my window while I cook. Soon, I saw a man in a black car drive slowly past our house. I dropped what I was doing and ran outside to see if he just happened to be looking for an asthmatic bulldog, but by the time I got there, he had already turned. He came back again about 5 minutes later, driving even slower, so this time I made it outside in time.

"Are you looking for a dog, by any chance?"

He immediately braked, jumped out of his car and yelled,"Yes!"

I told him I had a bulldog in my breezeway (that sounds like a personal problem....) and he said, "That's Lexington. He and our other dog rushed the gate and escaped." I opened the door, and Lexington quickly waddled straight to his owner, who scooped him up, drool chains and all, and carried him to his car.

After they left, The Guy went out to the breezeway to grab the water bowl, which was pretty much all saliva at that point, and said, "Hmmm. I wonder how long it will take to get the dog smell out of there!" We both agreed that we loved dogs, but it takes an especially tolerant person to own and love a bulldog.

So I Go a Little Overboard, but Hang Onto the Hull

2011-09-07T12:04:00.006-05:00

The awesome cyclocross wheels The Guy built me. Pretty.

I really meant to post yesterday, but couldn't on account of the Fall work retreat that went WAY too long yesterday. So, let's see what I can do today.

This weekend was wonderfully long. On Friday, The Guy and I had shrimp fajitas and black beans and de gallo and guac and it was lovely. We watched the old sci-fi movie, Them as well. You know how much I love my camp...

Me trying to make the fringe from the pool table look like Rick James bangs, and Bry spazzing out in front of the camera.

On Saturday, I got up and went running. I heard some thunder in the distance, but it looked like it might stay to the North of us. By the time I got back and The Guy and I found a park to practice some cyclocross, it started pouring. We sat under the shelter at the park and waited to see if it would let-up but then finally gave up and rode our bikes home in the rain. I did work on some mounting and dismounting on my bike and realized I have SO much work to do before my first race.

The rest of the day we spent cleaning and cooking for our dinner party that evening. I made a bunch of appetizers, like baked brie and blue cheese stuffed olives and roasted garlic and guacamole and chips and got things ready to grill. I made two kinds of salmon - garlic butter and brown sugar/dijon glazed salmon and many veggie packets. We took a break to swim laps and then came home got things ready to make mojitos.

It was a lovely dinner. I didn't have things timed as well as I would've liked, so I ended up spending more time manning the grill and making people mojitos and less time laughing and shooting the shit with my friends. Lesson learned. I also drank a mojito or two too many. It was really hard not to.

The Guy's face eclipsing mine.

On Sunday we were supposed to get up early and do the triathlon course again, but the rain brought in a cold front and the mojitos had me singing, "hangover, hangover. Send Churlita right over...." So, I did a lot more relaxing and lying about than I had originally planned. Instead, we went to Menards and I got some tulip and crocus bulbs that were way on sale to plant in the next month and a few little things for our house.

At 7 we met some friends at a pool hall where we can play for free and had a fine, incredibly silly time. Nothing wrong with that.

On Monday we finally did the biking part of the triathlon course. It was still WAY too cold to swim. Even with the holiday, there wasn't anybody at the beach. We got home and The Guy took me on a trail run. I normally just run on the sidewalk, but we went to Hickory Hill Park and it was actually pretty cool. I had to pay attention, which has never been one of my strong suits, but it was very pretty and rugged and kick-ass and I may start doing that more often.

We ended the night with the Monday Night Ride and that was a great time as well. All the goodness does make it harder to go back to cubicle world sometimes, though.

He Told Us Not to Blow It. Cuz He Knows It's All Worthwhile.

2011-08-31T11:06:00.005-05:00

Coadster making the same cheese ball face I always make in pictures. I guess there's no fighting city hall, is there?

Since it's been a little while, I thought I'd catch you all up on a few things in my life. Things are going just swimmingly.

Coadster seems happy in Ames and doing well in her classes. She calls me almost every day. Of course, The Guy always laughs at how short my phone conversations with her (and everyone else) are. She'll tell me what's going on, I'll tell her what's going on. We'll make fun of the cats and talk about whether we should worry about Stinky and then I'm ready to go. Thank god my girls have known me their whole lives and don't take it personally that any phone call with me will last 5 minutes if they're lucky. Yes. I am THAT lame.

I've also been working on Coadster's room. Last week I scrubbed the walls, removed all the hardware, patched up and sanded off any holes and I plan to prime and paint and rip up carpet in there this weekend. We're not sure exactly what we'll use it for. It will be a spare room for guests, and probably a sanctuary for The Guy to escape the estrogen flying around the house whenever he needs it...Which could be all the time.

Stinky all dressed up in USA themed clothes for the first high school football game this year. Every game has a different theme.

Stinky is in her senior year in high school and seems to finally be getting down to business. She's such a smart girl, but such a lazy student. She is working a lot, but still seems to get her homework done and in on time. Whew!

My friend's newly built tree house. Her boys love it.

The Guy and I are doing just great. We're training for my triathlon in a couple of weeks lately. He may or may not do it with me, but he's been great about helping me figure out the course and swimming, biking, running it with me and not making fun of me when I'm practically crawling at the end of it.

We had some friends over for black bean chili and corn bread for dinner last night and I made mojitos with fresh mint from my garden last night. It was so nice to hang out with my girlfriends and my boyfriend and have such great talks and laugh that hard. Who knows if it will last or what will happen tomorrow, but right now, I am as happy as a clam. I like to be aware of that while it's happening. I never want to take it for granted.

Turn Around and Say Good Morning to the Night.

2011-08-29T13:27:00.005-05:00

The Guy appearing to pick his friend's nose...Even though they say you can't do that.

This weekend was nice and mellow for the most part. Friday night we had tempeh reubens and steamed asparagus and salad for dinner. We both read and The Guy worked on the wheels he's building for my bike for cyclocross season and then we walked a few blocks and got ice cream. Just my speed.

Our friend Bry, being judged by Captain Kirk in the future home of the captain's birthplace.

On Saturday morning, we went on a bike ride to Riverside, Ia. with our friend Bry. His real bike was in the shop, so he had his old bike, which kept flatting out. By the time we got to Riverside, he had run out of innertubes and we had to call my favorite bartender, S., to come and get Bry and drive him back to Iowa City.

The Guy and I rode our bikes home and then decided to take a nap. We did that thing where we took too long of a nap and I think I was getting a cold and when we woke up at 5, I was wiped out and useless. We decided to finally finish watching Dead Man. I've never been able to watch even part of that movie without falling asleep. Don't get me wrong, it's a good movie. It's just very, very slow. Saturday I made it through and didn't fall asleep once. Woot!

The Guy pointing out S., who was nice enough to drive to Riverside and rescue our friend Bry.

On Sunday, The Guy and I decided to try swimming, biking and running the triathlon course I'm going to do in a few weeks. Holy crap! That was tough. Apparently the biking and running courses are much hillier than normal courses and man did I feel it. I learned that I have to eat something in there. Which is hard to do and then run, but I'll drink Gatorade and have a bar of something during the bike ride.

We got home from that and took a nice, short nap this time. We got up and cleaned until our Czech friends came over to see our house and borrow some books. Then we walked with our friends and Stinky to Shakespeare's for dinner. We finished the evening by watching a silly zombie movie called I Sell the Dead. It was totally goofy, but it was a zombie movie, so it was exactly as it should have been.

There is Moonlight and Moss in the Trees

2011-08-25T13:22:00.007-05:00

The happy couple who just moved back from Prague.

On the last day of RAGBRAI, we all met at Blackstone at 9 for bloody Mary's for some, but not me.
After dipping our tires in the Mississippi River.

Like almost every other day, we took the last day pretty slowly. At one point, some guy asked us what the hell we'd been doing all day, since most of the other riders had come through their town hours before. I think what we were doing was enjoying our ride and the company and knowing that after that day, we would all have to go back to the real world of sleeping indoors and readily available electricity and warm showers and routines and not riding bikes for the majority of the daytime hours.

Happy to be done.

Once we finally made it to Davenport, we still had a little setback. The woman driving the RV to meet us, couldn't get it to start. So, three of the guys took off to fix it, while the rest of us went to a beer garden to wait. I was starving, so I went to Rudy's taco house to get some enchiladas to go with my celebratory margarita - the perfect way to end any adventure, I think.

Our horribly Keen/sandal tanned feet.

After the guy and I got home, we had one of those wonderful nights we have from time to time, where we have great talks and laugh about the dorkiest things....And apparently, take pictures of our hideous feet. We did some reflecting on our past week, and started planning for the weeks to come.

And the Feeling Coming From My Bones Says Find a Home

2011-08-24T11:20:00.005-05:00

This pic of us was in our local paper's website in their report about RAGBRAI.

On Friday of RAGBRAI, we went from Grinnell to Coralville. Coralville is kind of like a suburb of Iowa City, so we actually got to sleep in our own beds and do laundry and torture our cats before the last day. Awesome, I know.

Our friend works for the state archaeologist and so we stopped at their booth.

We left our group and rode early to meet our friend. The Guy had to get to town pretty early so he could go to work and put a cast on one of his cousins. We rode pretty much straight through, without a lot of stopping or lolly gagging - which we never do with our normal group.

The kids in Coadster's Summer program getting ready to perform in their School of Rock style band.

It worked out well for me, as i had a lovely migraine all day. When we finally stopped at the Archaeology booth, I had to lie down and then took my meds. My meds make it harder for me to ride very fast, but I wasn't going to be able to ride at all, if I couldn't get my headache under control. The rest of the ride was just fine. I was exhausted, so when we got into town around two, The Guy took a shower and went to work and I took a shower and went to bed.

The kids performing at the Java House on Friday night. Very cool.

I woke up, just as The Guy was getting home. I had promised Coadster that I would come watch her show at a local coffee shop, She and the other guys she works with, got the kids to form a band. They could play whatever instrument they wanted, or sing and if they weren't comfortable getting up in front of a crowd, they could be screaming fans.

Coadster supervised the singers and changed the lyrics to a White Stripes and Lady Gaga song to make them suitable for children and at 7 on Friday night, all those little kids rocked our faces off. It was great. The parents went crazy taking pictures and video.

I got home around 8 and The Guy and I ate pizza and relaxed and got ready for our final day of RAGBRAI.

Kickin' Your Can All Over the Place

2011-08-22T12:28:00.008-05:00

The tri relay team before the competition.

I'm interrupting RAGBRAI again, to talk a bit about my weekend. 'Kay? 'Kay.

It was a weekend of Ironman's here - both a half and a sequel...

The swimmers taking off.

So, this weekend was just fine. Friday night, the guy and I had fish tacos and just hung out and relaxed. I got off work at noon and ran and rode my bike during the afternoon, so I was pretty tired.

An artsy shot of the boys.

On Saturday I woke up and made eggs and stuff for breakfast. The Guy went to the town where he was going to do the bike part of his triathlon to pick up his packet and drive the route. I stayed home and drove Stinky to work and then did a 25 mile training bike ride. It was a gorgeous day for it.

Both The Guy and I got home around the same time. We heated up some lunch, he took a nap while I putzed around the house and then in the evening we went for one drink and Indian food. When we got home, Stinky was there, so we all watched Ironman 2 together. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but it was nice to actually hang out with Stinky on a Saturday night.

The team number written on The Guy's leg.

On Sunday we got up bright and early so the guy could do a triathlon with two other people. The girl (who is Coadster's age) did the swim part. The Guy did the bike part of the half Ironman and our other friend did the half marathon, running part.

Finishing the triathlon. They got first for the co-ed relay teams and then second for all of the relay teams.

We originally thought they got third out of the relays, and second out of the co-ed relay teams, but one of the teams got a penalty for improper placement of equipment (whatever that means) and docked 4 minutes. So, The Guy's team ended up getting 2nd out of all the relay teams and first in the co-ed division. Hurray!

Don't worry. I plan on finishing up the RAGBRAI posting this week.

Now I know That. Now I Understand. You're Turning a Monkey on Me.

2011-08-18T11:40:00.008-05:00

Dorothy, Toto and G.

The following day we rode our bikes from Altoona to Grinnell. It was a pretty damn nice day. I will document it in pictures with cheeky little captions, as I am wont to do from time to time. Here's how it was:

The Guy and I as cyclists of the corn.

This lake was the last stop on the way to Grinnell. It looks like S. and I are teaching some kind of class. Heaven help the students of whatever class S. and I would ever try and team teach.

We stayed in some people's yard in Grinnell. They had friends who owned a bar and asked us to drink there. Who were we to say no? Try not to be jealous of my amazing bike short tan.

Bry with his fake tattoo, Put on for him by a 90 year old woman in a drug store, in Colfax, Ia. For real.

A lot of the boys in our group taking a pic with the guy who has done every RAGBAI there has ever been. Don't be jealous of his socks, either.

We were riding down the road when an either Amish or Mennonite guy yelled that they were giving away free homemade ice cream. Boy, nothing would make me stop my bike faster than that. So, we stopped and bought the best pie I'd ever had to put the ice cream on and then found a gorilla suit just sitting on a table there. It was too hot to wear the whole thing. But I think this pic gives you a good idea of just how fun even parts of a gorilla suit can be...

Gonna Ride Like the Wind

2011-08-16T10:07:00.008-05:00

The whole wacky gang with our hostess in Boone.

First, I just want to say that Stinky had a good friend die in a moped accident on Friday and she has been very, very sad about it. The girl was only 17 and Stinky had just been at camp with her a week or two before it happened. We did a lot of talking about living our lives to the fullest, because you never know how much time you'll have. My heart goes out to that poor girl's family. I don't know how people ever recover from something like that.

I have no idea how these guys were able to see when they rode in this get-up.

Okay. So, now I'm finally back to RAGBRAI again. Before I left for RAGBRAI, I had noticed an old bloggers FB status update asking people to stop by his gray house in Boone by the Walgreens. At the time, I thought I might try stopping by, but then the day we were supposed to ride there, we still needed a place to stay, so I let the driver know to try that guy's house. Of course, I had screwed up the direction of the house and the driver went to the wrong one.

Instead of the ex-blogger, he came upon a family and they said they knew nothing of any blogger, but they would gladly let us stay on their yard and Walgreens said we were welcome too.

Us taking a break with our hostess.

The family turned out to be very sweet. They had three kids and ordered us pizza at night and fed us oatmeal in the morning. We gave them the money and they went and picked it up for us. They also let us use their shower - which, on RAGBRAI is a HUGE luxury.

They were very christian, so we were careful not to get too rowdy or to swear around them. It was the first time I've ever heard The Guy use the word, "Gosh!" before.

The mom stayed at home with the kids and from what I could gather, probably home schooled them and didn't get out much. The boys in our group tried to talk her into riding a day with us. She said she'd love to, but she didn't probably have the right kind of bike and who would watch the kids while her husband was at work? The boys said they'd work on her bike and one of our rider's daughter's was 16 and would babysit the kids. Her husband agreed to pick up the sitter and the kids after he got off work and meet us where we would camp in Altoona at the end of the day. How sweet was that?

At our carwash camp site. The cops stopped by and told us our tents were too close to the Casey's store and we had to move them.

The mom seemed to have a great day. We rode slowly and tried to coach her on the important stuff about riding a 50 + miles. She got pretty hot and tired at one point, so we stopped more often and made sure she ate and drank enough.

Us taking a very cold RAGBRAI shower/laundry behind the car wash.

We finally made it to Altoona, to our car wash camping spot. Our hostess' husband was there with the kids and a bucket of chicken for them all for dinner. She thanked us over and over again and told us she had never done anything like this before in her life. We thanked her right back and all agreed that Iowa in general, but RAGBRAI in particular can renew your faith in humans as a species.

Comes a Light. Feelin's Liftin'.

2011-08-10T10:01:00.006-05:00

Free sweet corn with a vat of melted butter to dip it in? Hellz yeah!

Apparently, we felt it was time to dance right then.

Soooo. Where were we? Oh, yeah. The century ride day. On RAGBRAI, they make it so you can ride 100 miles one day, if you want. Those of us freaks who were into that kind of thing, left a little early. We detoured from the regular route to take about a 30 mile extra loop and complete 100 miles of biking for the day.

I had a bad start to that day. I hadn't been listening to The Guy when he told me I needed to eat at least 300 calories an hour when I was riding on RAGBRAI. It was so hot all the time and it's hard to eat and ride sometimes, but it definitely caught up to me on the century day. The Guy had stopped for coffee and some of the other guys rode ahead. JH and I were riding together and I felt more and more tired and dizzy. By the time The Guy called me to find out where I was, I was losing it. He made me eat food and drink Gatorade and then told me to please, please, please make myself eat more food. Duh! I don't know why I always have to learn everything the hard way...

This woman offered to spray us with a hose, if we would take our show on the flat bed truck. It was about 100 degrees, so who were we to argue?

About an hour later, I felt great and we rode the extra loop for the century ride and met our other friends in a town called Paton, Ia.

The Guy was so helpful. He was very worried about sun exposure on such young beauties...

From there we rode the rest of the way to Boone, Ia. There was one last killer hill to get there, but I took it slow and steady and I had enough food in me, finally to tackle it just fine.

Check in tomorrow when I tell you the story of the people who put us up in Boone.

Some Civil Servants Are Just Like My Loved Ones

2011-08-09T08:19:00.004-05:00

The cross-eyed face only a mother could love...Dork!

We interrupt these RAGBRAI posts to tell you about my weekend. The RAGBRAI'ing will continue tomorrow.

So, this weekend I drove to Ames and dropped Coadster off at her first apartment. Her roommates won't be there for another week and she told me she might feel scared and lonely at night. I told her to call me whenever she needed. It's so weird to see her so grown-up in some ways, but to also see signs of the little girl she used to be. Sigh.

The black-eyed face only a mother could love...Dork number 2.

Stinky spent the weekend with some friends at a cabin. She was tubing behind a boat when she got thrown off. She said the minute her life jacket made her surface, the other tube and the shin of the girl riding it, slammed her in the face. Of course, it happened just in time for school registration and ID pictures. Nice. Really, it isn't so bad. It just looks like she's rocking some serious, purple 1980's style eye shadow. I say, get her an OP shirt and some top siders and everyone will just think she's trying to be retro...Poor girl.

I did get Stinky signed up for her last year in high school yesterday. We searched for her locker, I listened to her whine about her schedule and had (got) to hear her talk to some friends about a party that was broken-up because of a fight. Odd to think that it's the last time I'll ever do that.

Those Summer Nights Are Callin'

2011-08-04T09:08:00.010-05:00

Machines cranking out ice cream by some silos.

The thing I love about RAGBRAI, is that you have no idea what you'll stumble upon on any given day. I'd say that the second day (Tuesday) was probably the funnest of the week.

This is a building with a thatched roof by the corn maze.

Monday was hot and hilly, just like Sunday, and I found myself riding by myself in the morning. When I reached the first town, I texted a bunch of people and found my group. We ate breakfast burritos by a Casey's gas station and took off for the next stop.

The polka band we happened upon.

After lunch, some of our group wanted to ride to the corn maze. They were trying to get as many RAGBRAI'ers as they could to stand in the maze while a plane flew overhead and took a pic. Apparently, the plane came too early, so we missed the shoot. Since it was close to 100 degrees out, I wasn't too hip to the idea of checking out a corn field that blocked the wind.

Instead, I heard people yelling, "hey, go to the lodge. There is good German beer and air conditioning!" That would have been enough for me, but once inside, we discovered a live polka band and chocolate sauerkraut cupcakes too. Is this heaven? Very, very close.

Me trying to polka with my friend who just moved back from Prague.

Even though we were exhausted, we danced like fiends, and had a couple of beers and cupcakes, before we headed off to our next adventure.

The town of Templeton was dressed-up in Prohibition era cars and whiskey casks. These guys are pretending to drink from the empty casks. Too funny.

The next town we hit was Templeton - where they make the whiskey. We rode through and headed out to where the still was. there was all kinds of crazy drunkenness going on there. They sold shots of Templeton Rye for $7. I abstained, but I think I might have been the only one who did. There was a group of kids who put their foreheads on a bat after drinking and then ran in circles around it, until they fell down. Um, wow.

One of the guys hanging around the fake casks asked me if I wanted to post for a pic and of course I did.

We finally left the still and headed to our next camping spot. They found us a great spot in a state park outside of Carroll, Ia.

The boys in my group partaking of the whiskey.

There was a murky green lake we swam in, and actual showers too. It felt so extravagant. It was a perfect place to get some sleep before we had to get up early and ride the 100 mile day on Tuesday...

Prepare Yourself. You Know It's a Must.

2011-08-03T13:30:00.005-05:00

The Guy and I applying sunscreen lip balm. My lips were so burnt by the end of RAGBRAI.

Sunday was the first day of bike riding. We rode from Glenwood to Atlantic, Ia. (about 60'ish miles). We were climbing out of the Missouri River basin so there were lots and lots of hills. Everyone hates me for saying this, but, in general, I like riding hills.

Riding into the halfway point of the day - Carson, Ia.

The Guy drove the van on the first day. so, I rode with a couple of other people until we all got split-up. It's easy to do when there are so many people riding. You're never quite sure who's ahead or behind you. Since I was by myself, I got to ride a little harder and was the first person from our group in the meeting place.

I started texting co-riders to see where they were, but phone reception was spotty at best. I called The Guy and he was stuck in traffic on the interstate. I finally got a text from LN saying she was at the bar in town. I met her and a few others there. The Guy showed up and instantly started trying to figure out where everyone was. Which was really tough, because everyone is at such different levels of riding and we found out that G. had a broken spoke on her bike and couldn't really ride it.

The Guy was awesome, as usual. He found a tent where they worked on bikes, took G.'s bike there and went back in an hour to get it once it was done.The rest of us headed to the van to rest in the shade before we left for the the afternoon ride.

Dorky cut-out in Carson, Ia.

The Guy parked the van and rode his bike back along to meet us. He told us where in Atlantic we were parked - in someone's yard across from the YMCA. We decided not to stop at any of the spots along the way, because the pool at the Y closed early and we wanted to be sure and swim.

The Guy and our friend, Burne rode our bikes to find a place to eat and it was all very nice. By then, I was exhausted and I knew there were just as many hills to ride the next day, so I hit the hay.

For not really knowing what to expect, the first day of riding was a pleasant surprise.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

2011-08-02T12:16:00.006-05:00

I never saw Lance either, but I did see his support vehicle drive by once.

So, I'm back from RAGBRAI. I'll probably blog about each day of it in a different post. I will say, overall, it was a wonderful experience.

Me and some girlies the night before the ride started in Glenwood, Iowa.

For those of you who aren't from around here, RAGBRAI stands for (Des Moines) Reigister's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa and happens every year on the last full week of July. This year it was attended by 25,000 to 30,000 people of all ages, from many parts of the world. It generally starts at the Missouri River, at the Westernmost part of Iowa and we ride to the Mississippi river, the Easternmost part of the state. We invade very small towns along the way and are greeted by folks with beer, food and yards and parking lots to sleep in. It is dirty and stinky and hot and hard and hilly, but it is one of the best and biggest spectacles I've ever had the pleasure of participating in.

Me trying to close the RV's window, as my friend Bry creeps me out.

We had a larger than average group this year (18-24 riders, depending on the day). We don't register, so it's up to us to provide our own support and find places to stay every night.

We took an RV and a van to the first town (Glenwood, Ia) on Saturday. The trip there turned out to be a bit of an adventure. First we got stuck in crazy traffic on I-80. The crawl and heat caused the van to freak-out so we had to sit in 100 degree heat indices, without air conditioning, in a van for almost an hour. After we finally crawled to an off-ramp and took another ramp, we had a mishap where one of the bikes fell off the roof of the van. We were going slow enough that it wasn't a danger to itself or others and we stopped at a hardware store to get better twist ties.

Me "sword fighting" with one of our group members with our tent poles.

After the bike mishap, we ran into some low hanging electrical wires and then a thunderstorm. We joked that our trip was like a video game and we were on level 11 already.

We finally made it to Glenwood and set up camp next to the YMCA. We had a great first night and checked out the sights and sounds of RAGBRAI. The Guy had gone with a friend of ours and didn't get to camp until after 8'ish. He missed some of the earlier fun, but made it for the sittin' and drinkin' a spell before bedtime.

At that point, I still had no idea what to expect from our adventure, but I was ready for it.

Stranded in Iowa

2011-07-22T09:09:00.004-05:00

the guy and I finishing up our 204 mile weekend ride in June.

So, tomorrow I leave for RAGBRAI. It is a bike ride (about 450 miles) across the great state of Iowa in one week. I assume it will involve a lot of sweet corn, pie, meat on a stick, beer, drunken cyclists, feedlot smells, very hilly roads, heat, high humidity levels and a chronically sore ass. Because I'm obviously insane, I'm looking forward to it.

Here are some Midwestern wild flowers for you.

I will be back when it's all over to report - hopefully, with fun pics and wonderful stories...And pie. Lots and lots of pie.

See ya real soon!

I'd Still Own the Film Rights and Be Working on the Sequel

2011-07-20T11:27:00.006-05:00

Here are the remnants of a stone building.

While I was reading that book Shadow Tag last week, I realized that Louise Erdrich was the first author I ever saw read in person before. Then I started thinking about all of the readings/speeches I've been to and decided to make a list - kind of like those things on Facebook where people list all the concerts they've been to, but WAY nerdier. Ready?

Fiction:

Louise Erdrich
Maya Angelou (twice)
Denis Johnson
Dan Chaon
Dave Eggers
Tom Barbash
Ethan Canin
Lorrie Moore
Michael Cunningham (Pulitzer winner)
TC Boyle
Lan Samantha Chang
Marilynne Robinson (Pulitzer winner)
John Irving (twice)
Michael Chabon (Pulitzer winner)
Paul Harding (Pulitzer winner)
Colm Toibin
Toni Cade Bambara

Poets:

Derek Walcott
John Ashbery

Non-Fiction/Speakers:

Ralph Nader
Walter Mondale
Jesse Jackson
Angela Davis
Noam Chomsky

I'm sure there are a few that I've forgotten, but I think I've caught most of them there. I sorely regret missing Kurt Vonnegut read the million times or so he was on campus and I'd still really love to see Joy Williams and Toni Morrison at some point if they ever come here, that is. Looking at these lists, I do feel pretty damn lucky to live in a community so rich in literature.

Joey Never Met a Bike That He Didn't Wanna Ride.

2011-07-19T11:13:00.014-05:00

Maybe I'll just get a new orange cat to keep Archie in line.

So, I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Really. It was that good. This will be mostly a photo post, detailing the loveliness.

Friday morning, Coadster took The Guy and I out for breakfast before they both went to work. I got home, putzed around the house, went running, mowed the lawn, packed, ran errands and read my book - The Help, for a bit.

The Guy got home from work and we packed up and took off for Galena. We got there around 8. Since we were both exhausted, we decided to just eat at the Irish hotel - where we were staying and take it easy. The food was okay there, nothing too exceptional, but not bad.

The Guy tasting different kinds of balsamic vinegar.

We woke up the next morning and watched a bit of the Tour de France. They were at the mountain stage. I have so much more of an appreciation for how badly that hurts, after trying to race a bicycle up big hills. Those men are beasts.

We went to downtown Galena after that. We walked around, checked out stores, climbed stairs, had lunch, made a reservation for dinner and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for our first bike ride.

We rode out along the countryside of Galena and it was gorgeous. At one point, we discovered this cute little country store type place in an old train station. We stopped to drink a beer and meet the owner and talk to some of the locals there. It was great. We took off from there, scaled some more hills, got a little lost, found our way back home and then got ready for dinner at the hotel.

We ate at an Italian restaurant that everyone suggested and it was very nice. Then we took a little stroll along the river under the almost full moon. Stinky called from camp and told us she loved us. What a perfect way to end my birthday.

On Sunday, we went out earlier for a bike ride, since it was so hot. We rode much the same loop as the day before, but we started out by the falls and then back out to it to end again.

The hills were pretty tough, but they never seem to look as bad in pictures. It still makes me laugh that people think Iowa or near Iowa is flat.

When we finished our route, we were hot, sweaty and tired. We went back to the downtown area for one last walk around and a later lunch before we headed back to Iowa City.

We made it back to our air conditionless home and unpacked, took care of a few things, then ordered a pizza and settled in to watch Jaws. The perfect end to a wonderful weekend.

Have a Drink, Have a Drive. Go Out and See What You Can Find.

2011-07-14T15:33:00.003-05:00

So, I turn 46 on Saturday. As I've said many times before - I'm not one of those people who freaks out on my birthday or gets depressed about getting older....Yet.

I'm off work tomorrow and Monday. Tomorrow morning, The Guy and Coadster are all going out to breakfast together. Then they will both go to work and I will play and play. Well, I'll at least run and bike and probably mow the lawn and pack.

That's right. The Guy is taking me to Galena for the weekend. We're going to stay in the Irish hotel there and ride our bikes to a vineyard/winery and maybe kayak too. Yea! I'm so excited. I hope you all have a lovely weekend too.

Sun Come Up. It Was Blue and Gold.

2011-07-13T14:53:00.003-05:00

Here is a planter made out of overalls. I'm not sure how I feel about that one plant hanging from the butt, though.

So, things are going great. I was going to try and run after work last night, but I was already getting rained on while riding my bike home. The Guy called me and said he had to work late, but would love to meet me downtown for dinner and a drink when he was done. Sweet! What a wonderful alternative to running 6 miles. Tonight it should be nice and sunny, so I'll probably plan on taking a nice bike ride out in the country.

Now, I will relate a couple of witticisms in my life as of late...

1) Co-worker: How can I be 52 years old and still getting a gigantic pimple?

Me: Don't you hate it when your zits and wrinkles have to compete for face time?

2) Last night I was on the phone with Stinky and Coadster was hovering and listening in.

Me: Your sister has been on kind of a bitchy tear tonight...

Coadster: No, I'm not. I'm being funny and honest.

I suppose it's all about perspectives....

Come On, Come On. Let's Go Again

2011-07-11T12:10:00.006-05:00

This weekend was lovely. We went to Clear Lake and raced bikes and checked out the sights and sounds - the sounds were pretty disappointing, but everything else was nice. We also checked out all of the Buddy Holly/Ritchie Valens/Big Bopper stuff.

Here I am in doing my Vanna White at the memorial.

My race on Sunday went okay. I'm still not even close to being in the running, but I'm learning a lot and getting better and better. I stayed with the pack a lot longer and tried not to give up, after I got dropped. I even passed a couple of people toward the end. Of course, one of them had a flat, so she didn't really count...But at least I wasn't last.

Guys registering for the road race under the watchful eyes of Buddy, Ritchie and the Big Bopper.

The rest of this will be a photo essay of our weekend.

Very many Buddy Holly images in the interior of the Surf Ballroom.

A guy cleaning up the ballroom right before the road race.

Helter Skelter in the Summer Swelter

2011-07-08T10:32:00.006-05:00

This is what I woke up to this morning. Damn Vandals.

Last night was lovely. The Guy was finishing up editing a labor law manual for a friend of his, so I spent most of the evening on the porch reading with Archie and a glass of wine. Exactly the relaxing evening I needed. The Guy finished at almost the exact same time Coadster got done with her night class. We all sat down and watched an Andy Griffith episode and then had a nice talk afterward.

Archie sitting guard over the bird feeder. His favorite post.

I woke up today to a nicely egged car. of course, I didn't have time to get it washed before work, so I guess that will be my first order of business this evening. My second order will be to make some beet salad and get things ready to grill sweet potato fries and salmon. Coadster loves salmon and even said she'd hang out and eat dinner with us tonight. Hurray!

Archie reaching out to harass Heidi. Just another night at our house.

Tomorrow morning, The Guy and I will wake up early and head to Clear Lake, Iowa. We will get to see the land where the music died and race bikes there. They have a Bikes, Blues and BBQ festival there every year and I think a lot of the music gets played at the Surf Ballroom (where Buddy Holly and Company performed right before they died).

I'm excited about the road race on Sunday - even if it is longer than I've ever raced before. It's a 42 mile jaunt. My legs are tired just thinking about it.

Coadster wrestling her foot away from Archie.

We will spend the night in Clear Lake and do one more day of racing before heading home on Sunday. As always, I'll let you all know how it goes...

Sometimes I Think It's a Shame When I Get Feelin' Better When I'm Feelin' No Pain

2011-07-06T13:05:00.004-05:00

Here are some lovely lilies I grew.

So, reading that Louise Erdrich novel is really making me want to write some fiction again. Of course, I have to find the time. It seems like hours and whole days get swallowed up with people and things.

Last night, I thought I might have some time. I was tired and swam in the morning, so I decided not to run or ride my bike after work, and I thought I might be able to write later. Instead, I made Coadster's favorite dinner - cheese tortellini with pesto made with basil from my garden), then my friend G. came over and we had a nice talk on the porch, then I picked Coadster up from class and she was crying from a horrible migraine. I tried all of my tricks to ease her pain, she eventually threw-up and started feeling better, but it took a while. I feel so awful that my messed-up gene pool causes that for her too. Anyway, by that time, it was late and I was fried and had to go to bed. Maybe tonight.

I guess the good and the bad thing about me, is that I love to fill my life up with adventures and projects and passions. Bad - because I can overwhelm myself and create self-imposed pressure when I don't always need another excuse to spaz. Good - because I rarely feel bored or even just ho-hum about my life. I've heard there's this thing out there called balance, but I haven't seen it much with my own eyes....

Saturday Made Sunday Feel Like It Would Never Come

2011-07-05T11:53:00.008-05:00

Me taking a pic of someone taking a pic of me...Again. This was on our Saturday bike ride to Windham.

I had a great, long weekend. On Friday, I got off work early and took Coadster to the Quad Cities and then drove back home. The Guy and I ordered pizza and then watched Creature from the Black Lagoon. I hadn't seen that movie in forever. We were talking about how all the underwater shots must have been so fascinating to people when the movie first came out.

The Guy meeting Bry's girlfriend's kids before the fire works on Sunday night.

On Saturday we got up and did a few things before we met people for a 30 mile bike ride. It was a nice, slow ride and the weather was perfect. We got home and were exhausted. We showered, ate sushi and decided to take a nap around 7 pm. Of course, we never really woke up, until the next morning, so it turned into an awfully long nap.

On Sunday, we went on another bike ride. This time, to Solon. We went a little faster than the last one and then rode back. I decided to run my 4 1/2 mile route when we got home. Then I made pan seared scallops and steamed asparagus for dinner.

We headed downtown at 7 to meet our friends and their kids and watch the fireworks. The fireworks here were pretty damn impressive, I have to say. I had a migraine on and off all weekend and it was ON Sunday night, so I went home and went to bed after the fireworks were over.

Bry with his girlfriend's son - getting all silly.

On Monday, I know this will shock you all, but we went on another bike ride. This one was an easy, shorter one. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant to eat on the way home too.

We got home and I did a little cooking, a little cleaning, a little grocery shopping and a lot of reading on the screened-in porch. I'm reading Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich and I like it just fine.

So, I rode bikes, I ran, I ate good food, I read a great book, I got a sunburn and watched fireworks. I'd call that a pretty nice Fourth of July weekend.

A Million Miles, Our Vagabond Heels Clocked Up Beneath the Clouds

2011-07-01T09:41:00.007-05:00

Archie and The Guy doing their core work-out in the morning.

Soooo, three days off this weekend...But that just means more time with Archie. Oh my!

Archie trying to get into Stinky's suitcase....

Stinky left for camp for the next month and I'm taking Coadster to the Quad Cities for the weekend. It will be the first time that The Guy and I have ever been without a surly teen in the home. Now, if we could only have stowed Archie off in Stinky's suitcase...

...Getting closer...

I'm not sure what all I'm doing over the weekend. I plan to run and ride bikes and get some work done in and outside of the house and who knows...Maybe I'll even start that painting I've been talking about for years...

Score! Too bad, Stinky didn't accidentally take him with her.

How about you all? Do you have plans for the weekend? Do you know of any good ways to get ride of undesirable pets? Will you find a considerable lack of surly teens in your life for the next couple of days?

There Is Still a Chance That They Will See

2011-06-29T12:16:00.004-05:00

Coadster looking a little psycho with her boy.

The scene is our house on Sunday evening. The Guy and I are in the living room. The girls are in the kitchen with Coadster's boyfriend. They are bickering...As usual.

Coadster says something to Stinky that I can't make out. Then Stinky says, "Oh my god! She's psycho! How can you stand to date her?"

The Guy pipes up from the living room, "Hey, are you talking to me or Coadster's boyfriend?" (har har)

Stinky and one of her best friends at her friend's graduation last month.

IsThis Place at Your Command?

2011-06-28T10:12:00.005-05:00

J. and I giving G. some support before, during and after her race.

So, hey...Yeah. I thought I might get all crazy and actually blog today. Weird.

This weekend was lovely again. I had four whole days of it, so that was great in and of itself. On Friday I ran and mowed and planted some gladiola bulbs. The Guy wanted to take me out for dinner...Because he's sweet and wonderful. Our friend J. wanted us to meet him for a drink and we usually don't go out much on Friday nights, but for him, we made an exception.

G after finishing her first 5K. Yea!

On Saturday morning, I got up and went with J. to see our friend G. in her first 5K ever. She was afraid she would stop and walk or not finish, but she ran the whole thing. I was so proud of her. The Guy couldn't make it, because he needed to do some bike training. So, after G. finished running, J. suggested we go find The Guy on his time trial bike. I knew the route he was taking, and that made the stalking that much easier.

The rest of the day, I spent cleaning the hell out of my house. The Guy went to the Quad Cities with his mom to pick his sister up from the airport. When they got back, we all went to Pagliais for pizza. It's her favorite place to go when she comes back home.

Catching up to The Guy on his time trial bike.

On Sunday we went to The Guy's family lunch thing. Both of The Guy's parents grew up on farms in small towns around the area. This thing was for his mom's side of the family. At one point The Guy asked me if his quirks all made sense after meeting his family, and I told him all families were crazy in their own special way. Before the lunch, The Guy drove me around where he grew up in Coralville and showed me his childhood home and a few other places. I loved it.

His family was just fine. They all seemed to have at least two little, yappy accessory dogs a piece. One of his aunts looked like she just stepped out of a 1968 cocktail party. She had those huge dark, Jackie O sunglasses and wore a wig and the first thing she said to me was, "Cats, dogs and old men love me...And I can't stand any of 'em." Awesome.

At one point at the end of the shindig, her wig fell off her head and her son quipped, "I thought one of the dogs dropped dead, but it's just her "hair"'.

The Guy was really good about introducing me to everyone and then his mom asked him how he was referring to me to the family. The Guy told her he was just calling me his landlady. His mom asked me if I ever felt like punching The Guy. Have I ever told you all how much I like The Guy's mom?

Anyway, my weekend turned out very, very well. I got a lot done, got to run and bike and meet some of The Guy's extended family.

You're Only Dancing On This Earth for a Short While

2011-06-20T11:09:00.006-05:00

Here is our Friday dinner.

So, this weekend....Wasn't super wonderful. it wasn't bad or anything, it's just that for the last few months, I've had amazing weekend , after amazing weekend, after amazing weekend, and I've become a bit spoiled by all of it.

There were definitely wonderful parts to my weekend. On Friday night we grilled salmon and asparagus and I made foil packets of sweet potatoes and beets marinated in balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary and a little olive oil. We watched two Andy Griffith episodes, had a sweet little talk and decompressed from the week.

Here is a wacky dinner party shot.

On Saturday we had to get up pretty early because we had a race in a very small town called Bangor, Ia. It was my second race, and my first race was a little more informal than most, so this was really my first more official race. Originally, The Guy and I were going to go together, but he had to help his mom with something, so I went by myself. Of course, The Guy made me very easy to follow directions and printed out a map, so I could make my way to this tiny town.

I woke up around 3:30 am with a migraine. Great. I tried some biofeedback techniques that didn't touch it, and then took my meds. They knocked me out for about an hour, until I had to get up and go to the race. I made it to the race just fine, and registered and warmed up and talked to some of the women I was racing against. I think I've already said this, but the women's cycling community has been nothing but nice and welcoming of me - no matter how badly I suck.

I sucked the worst ever at this race. My meds are vasoconstrictors - which can decrease blood flow to certain areas of the body, and seem to make my arms and legs very weak. Not the best thing during a bike race. Needless to say, I got smoked. The course was lovely and it was a nice cloudy mild day for a ride. The Guy met me on his bike close to the end of the race and rode behind me as I finished. Very sweet of him.

I left before The Guy's race, because he had a while to wait for it, and I had to get home and get things ready for our dinner that night. My friend, K. her fiance, and G. were coming over for dinner.

The Guy got home and helped clean-up while I cooked. Our friends came over, we ate, we drank, we chatted and everyone went home by around 9. Perfect.

So, again. My weekend was fine, it just wasn't wonderful and amazing. I'm going to take it as a very good sign when wonderful and amazing is the norm and it's odd when things are just okay.

Modern Thought Can Get the Best of You

2011-06-16T14:38:00.003-05:00

The Guy maniacally and simultaneously spanking the cats' asses.

It's beautiful here today. I went for a walk downtown on my lunch break and saw a very pregnant woman sitting on a bench. My first thought was, "Whew! I'm glad I don't have to do that again." Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I did it when I was younger, and I love my girls, but my tolerance for certain things seems to get so much lower the older I get.

I'm also glad I'm not as poor as I was back then, I'm glad I'm not in an abusive marriage, like I was back then, I'm glad I have more free time and I'm glad I have a hell of a lot more options than I did in my twenties. Of course, the cats are kind of annoying, but that's just a given, right?

Oh no. Not Me. We Never Lost Control.

2011-06-15T10:26:00.004-05:00

Me pointing out one of the places where a bird shit on me. Nice.

Neither The Guy or I consider ourselves all that very social, but lately, our calendar has seemed extremely full. Last Wednesday we had our race, on Thursday The Guy went to his mom's house. (although, I did get some alone time Thursday night and brought home cheese fries from the Hilltop, drank a few beers and watched North By Northwest. Perfect) On Friday we left for TOMRV and stayed with Bry at our friend Timmer's, rode with a ton of people and then shared a hotel room with Bry on Saturday night. When we got home on Sunday, we were met by our friend's D. and G. with food they had cooked for us and the next night was the Monday night ride. Whew! It was all wonderful and I'm not complaining at all, but I was really happy when I talked to The Guy about what his plans were for the week and he said, " I don't know. A few quiet nights at home sound wonderful...."

So, last night we got home, both did a couple of chores, had veggie pizza burgers and soup for dinner, then sat out on the screened-in porch and drank wine and talked. We even got in an Andy Griffith episode before bed. So, yeah. I love all the active, social stuff we do, but it all makes me appreciate our, quiet evenings at home that much more.

And You May Find Yourself In Another Part of the World

2011-06-14T10:16:00.008-05:00

So, Tour of the Mississippi River Valley was amazing. It was beautiful and long and challenging and grueling at some points, but always fun and what a great ride - all 204 miles of it. When we woke up on Saturday morning, The Guy asked me if I was ready for an adventure. My answer to that was, "Always." And it was a crazy adventure.

We started riding from Bettendorf, Iowa at 7:22 in the morning. The forecast originally called for sunny and 75 degrees, but what we got was cloudy and misty and about 60 degrees. All the cyclists were terribly under dressed.

The first day was the hardest. It was 107 miles of crazy hills along and across the Mississippi River with a tough head wind for most of the day. We stopped at all the scheduled stops for bathroom, water and food breaks, and then finally stopped in Galena, Illinois for a real break where we ate a real meal and drank some cocktails. By that time, it was about 4 in the afternoon and we really needed it.

We finally crossed back over the Mississippi River to Dubuque, Ia. around 6 and reached our final stop of the day and most importantly, the buffet that came as part of our registration. At one point, The Guy asked me if I wanted to go down to the lounge at our hotel for a drink, but I was so tired, I couldn't get up and walk for one more second. Needless to say, I slept like a baby that night.

On Sunday, we only rode around 90 miles, but we were all still tired and sore from the day before. We rode a different route on the way back to Bettendorf. We got a glorious day of 75 degrees and sunny with very little wind.

We ran into these boys raking it in at their lemonade stand. Brilliant.

We found a great small town, Sunday brunch buffet in Preston, Iowa, with all the same kinds of homemade type food you'd find at an Iowa family reunion. We stuffed ourselves and couldn't drink much more than one beer when we went across the street to a bar.

We got separated from our friend Bry and when we hit another small town a few hours later, had to decide if we wanted to just ride the next hour and half and get it over, or stop and have a beer and rest and relax. We chose to stop and I was really glad we did. It was nice to talk to The Guy about how we felt about the ride and what on us was the sorest and meet some of the other cyclists who stopped there..

We made it back into Bettendorf, around 4'ish, and Bry was waiting for us with his camera in hand. He took a great pic of us riding into the parking lot hand in hand and I REALLY want a copy of that, but since he's a guy, he may never get it posted on FB. So, after 204 miles, about 50 bazillion hills, and top speeds of 40 mph, I would say we had one hell of an adventure. I'd do it again in a minute...Well, maybe after my legs heal a little, anyway.

They Deftly Maneuver and Muscle for Rank

2011-06-09T10:12:00.005-05:00

Okay, so. I did my first bike race last night and it was fun and interesting. Here's me with my registration form in hand, looking like I'm heading to my first day in kindergarten.

Here I am signing the legal forms saying I won't sue in the event of death or dismemberment...Or whatever else. Gulp.

I rode hard. but not quite hard enough. In bike racing, once you get dropped from the pack, it's almost impossible to catch up again. So, I need to learn not to be so cautious or conserve my energy and stay with everyone as long as possible. Got it.

I really did love it, though. It's great to be out in the middle of nowhere, flying down hills and taking note of all the roadkill (there are a lot of dead snakes on Iowa roads this Summer, by the way). I also like challenging myself and seeing how strong I am (or not) and how fast I can go. Looks like I better start training for the next one now....

And All the Girls Out On the Stoops, Yeah.

2011-06-08T12:24:00.004-05:00

Poor Archie cant' take the heat, but is too dumb to get out of the kitchen.

Well, it's still hot today. Sigh. My race should be VERY challenging, but then if I'm going to race bikes in Iowa in the Summer, then I better get used to it.

Last night was very lovely. We just had grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup and salads for dinner. Then we had a great talk on the screened-in porch. If you don't have air conditioning, it's nice to at least have a screened-in porch to hang out on in the evening.

So Smile for a While and Let's be Jolly.

2011-06-07T16:31:00.003-05:00

Today it was ridiculously hot here. The roses didn't seem to mind, but the cats did a lot of lying around.

Tomorrow is my first bike race. I came home from the Monday night ride last night, wired and overwhelmed with crap I either needed to do, or thought I needed to worry about. I didn't get much sleep at all. I woke up about 5:30, feeling like poop. I had a good talk with The Guy about stressing out about stupid shit. He was, of course, wonderful and supportive as ever. I decided I was too tired to be any good at work, so I called in and stayed home.

I went back to bed and woke up again in the afternoon, feeling a ton better. I took some time to myself to play in the dirt and plant some marigolds, snap dragons, gerbera daisies and a black forest calla lily. You would not believe (or maybe you would) how much better you can feel about your world in general after you get your hands dirty and plant pretty flowers. I highly recommend it.

Hey, Babe. Let's Go Out Tonight.

2011-06-06T11:28:00.003-05:00

Archie resting for those of us who are too stupid to do that on the weekends.

I had another glorious weekend. I got off early on Friday. I ran an errand or two and then took my bike to West Branch to ride the course I'm going to race this Wednesday. It was in the 90's and ridiculously windy. The Guy was great and printed out a map, because I am lousy about directions. I did the route, but it definitely kicked my ass. It's okay, though. Getting my ass kicked will only make me stronger, right?

After I got home, The Guy drove up just as Stinky and I were going to the store to get things for dinner. He asked me if I didn't think it would be better, if we sat in an air conditioned restaurant and let someone bring us food and cold beverages and if I would let him take me out to dinner. Um, yes I did and yes, I would. So, he took me out for tapas at Devotay, and it was lovely. We got home and sat on the porch, talking with Coadster, until we finally went to bed.

On Saturday I woke up to a migraine. The Guy was great and went and got us bagels and then drove me to the pharmacy the minute it opened so I could get my meds. In the past I would have done all of that myself, and it would have sucked, so it's nice to actually have help.

By 11, my migraine had calmed down and The Guy and I met some friends for a 50 mile bike ride. It was another windy warm day...Just not as bad as the day before.

We got home around 6'ish and watched a couple of Andy Griffith's. ate pizza and then watched The Awful Truth starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. it was great.

On Sunday, my head was all better. I got up and did some gardening and then we went on another bike ride. It was my third long ride in three days, but I felt pretty good for it. Only two days until my first bike race. I hope all this riding helps with that.

Searchin' For Light in the Darkness of Insanity

2011-06-02T11:30:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture looking up the skirt of a tower in Rock Island, Il.

Oh, kids. I think I have officially become the worst Blogger ever. I keep trying and I will continue to try, but I'm sure I will be inconsistent at best.

On the plus side...It means that I am so busy and excited and doing so many things in the real world to Blog.

Sooooo, right now I'm working and thinking about what I'll be doing after work. If it quits raining, I'll go running and do recycling and garden until it is too dark to see, then I'll go inside and fold laundry and watch Twilight Zone episodes on Netlfix streaming. If it continues to rain, I might just scrap it all and watch Twilight Zone - with our without the laundry folding.

A Perfect Day to Get Out of Bed.

2011-05-31T09:41:00.014-05:00

It was an insanely, wonderfully, busy three day weekend and I'll be playing catch-up all week long. So, here it is in pictures. The roller derby girl who is autographing her coloring book page is our collective girl crush.

I hope you all had as much fun as I did this weekend and feel free to leave your roller derby name in the comments.
The Guy riding up Snake Alley in Burlington. He went up one of the crookedest Streets in the country at least 11 times that day. Oy!

Bry photo bombing the two roller derby teams with his picture of our girl crush.
me with the coloring book page and The Guy giving me the bunny ears. Pretty sneaky.

This is in the Muscatine Aquatic center. The bike races were postponed for a bout two hours while storms passed through.

On Monday, The Guy rode a criterium in Rock Island, Illinois. The weather was hot and windy, but there weren't any storms.

Dream Up, Dream Up

2011-05-27T10:11:00.003-05:00

Heidi cat has been thoroughly nipped here.

So, hey. It's not only the weekend, but we get THREE WHOLE DAYS! Hurray!

I'm sure this weekend will be just as busy as ever, but I'm soooo excited for it.

Tonight I will go running after work, then make black bean chili, corn bread and guacamole. Then hopefully, watch a movie before we fall asleep. Coadster got a ride to the Quad Cities with a friend this afternoon. We were going to leave an hour early for The Guy's race, in order to get Coadster to her boyfriend's house, but now we don't have to.

On Saturday, we'll go to Burlington Iowa to watch The Guy race his bike up Snake Alley. Then we'll get pizza at Napoli and come home and nap and then garden and I might run or whatever else. In the evening we're going to see some roller derby and I am REALLY excited about that.

The Guy has another bike race on Sunday. This time it's in Muscatine. On the way home, we're going to try and stop at West Branch, where my first bike race will take place. We'll at least drive the course, so I can see how hard it is.

On Monday, The Guy has a criterium in Rock Island. We'll get Coadster on the way home and hopefully do the Monday night ride that weekend.

I hope everyone out there is blog land has a nice extended weekend as well.

Kiss Me Now That I'm Older

2011-05-25T10:32:00.009-05:00

Me on RAGBRAI in 2006.

Soooooo. People have been asking if I really love to ride that many miles on my bike, or if it's something to do as a way to spend time with The Guy. Well, let me tell you about my cycling history then:

I first started riding bicycles with my brother, before I ever got into running. He got a really nice ten speed from his Big Brother (he was in the Big Brother/Big Sister program) and I rode my 1 speed red, white and blue Liberty Bell bike with the banana seat. We would get bored and ride our bikes for hours out through the alfalfa fields and orange tree groves of Mesa, Az. and I loved it.

Then we moved to Chicago and I rode a bike to commute through junior high and high school. Running took over as my favorite drug. Running was the perfect poor girl sport. With biking there were all those gadgets and gee gaws to buy and maintain and I know I've mentioned several times that I have no mechanical skillz whatsoever.

Here's me taking a break from the bike ride and "Havinfun".

When I got to college, my brother spent the first half of one Summer fixing up an old 60's 3-speed called a Hiawatha Flyer for me for my birthday. I rode it everywhere. I again went on long rides with my brother and my best friend Mark and I loved it.

Once I had kids, my riding days were over except for commuting. I didn't have the time to go on long bike rides and couldn't really afford even an inner tube for a blown tire. I could get a hell of a work-out while running for an hour as opposed to biking an hour

In the last couple of years, I've had more time and went on a lot of bike rides by myself. Now, that I'm with The Guy, my girls are older and don't necessarily want me around much, I have help with the mechanical part of biking, and someone to ride with so I'm not out by myself for hours on deserted country roads, I am able to bike on really long rides again and I love it.

So, in answer to the question: Yes. I love to bike AND it's a great way to spend time with The Guy.

'Cause I Need to Feel the Stars Sleep By at Night

2011-05-24T11:48:00.005-05:00

Here is Iowa on a beautiful Spring day.

Tonight was another Monday Night Ride and the weather couldn't have been any better...Of course, the bugs couldn't have been any worse either, but this is Iowa in the Spring after all and that means you get lots of lots of protein riding your bike at night here. Gross!

I actually made myself get up early and run before work this morning and I'm so glad I did. It makes my whole day that much better. Tonight I am mowing that woman's lawn after work, so I'm glad I got a good run in already.

The weather has been amazing the last two days. I wonder if Iowa was sorry for this weekend's storms and wanted to make up for it. Then again, it's supposed to storm again tomorrow, so maybe Iowa is just a temperamental bitch like that....

And They're Stepping Lightly. Hang Each Night in Rapture

2011-05-23T10:02:00.010-05:00

Oh, but the weekends keep getting crazier and crazier and more and more wonderful.

This one started out kind of bad. I had to get two cavities filled on either side of my mouth. I hadn't had a cavity in forever, and I've never had two at once. It wasn't fun, but it's over now.

When I got home after the cavity filling, I ran and then got things ready for dinner. We made shrimp kabobs and grilled asparagus with it. So very nice. Then we watched The Fighter with Coadster.

We got up on Saturday and it was raining. We originally planned to do a 100 mile bike ride, but we waited until the rain stopped and didn't get started until 9:45. The Guy and I rode out past Lake MacBride to Solon and at lunch at Jonesy's restaurant, then headed back to the resevoir and down Dubuque Street to North Liberty where we met Bry and Timmer for the start of the Bud ride.

Here we are preparing to be raptured.

We rode from there to Oxford Iowa, where we had a beer and ate some food and rode on to a little town called, Tiffin and a bar named Slims. We were there for the Rapture that ruptured, and stayed after shooting pool and hoops and playing a NASCAR video game. We also talked about our first concerts, what our dream concerts would be and what our favorite concerts were.

Here we toasted the fact that we were left on earth with the other heathens and free to drink beer.

We finally rode home and Got there at around 9:30. We watched an Andy Griffith episode, ate pizza and talked with Coadster until we went to bed. I was exhausted.

This hail was originally golf ball sized, but I found it a while after it fell and it melted in my hand some.

Sunday The Guy and I woke up and met Bry for another ride. We headed out to a town called Wellman. the winds were a total bitch going out. We had to peddle hard just to go downhill. But we stopped and ate at the diner there and headed home to a nice tailwind. By the time we made it home, the sirens were going off. Both my girls were at the mall, so The Guy and I weathered the storm at home with the cats. With all the hail and tornado sightings, I was glad to be home.

In the evening, The Guy asked if he could take all of us out for sushi. The girls and i were all for it. It was nice to all hang out for dinner.

If You Act As You Think

2011-05-19T09:11:00.005-05:00

My girls during Stinky's prom pics. Coadster had been moving all day and Stinky had been primping all day.

last night was lovely. The Guy rode his bike after work and I went running. We got home around the same time and started making dinner. Both of the girls took off for a while and that was the first time in a couple of weeks that they were both gone at the same time. it was nice to finally have a few hours of alone time with The Guy. We made dinner and drank wine and got to actually listen to the kind of music we like. Weird.

Stinky said her date was fine, but she isn't interested in going out with him again. She said he comes from a lot of money and had serious entitlement and jealous/possessive issues. She also said he wouldn't stop texting other people the whole time he was with Stinky and she thought that was really rude. I had to agree with her. NEXT!

I Seem to Lean On Old Familiar Ways

2011-05-18T10:02:00.003-05:00

Here are my lilacs.

I keep hoping for a little relaxation, and that's what I get...Just a little relaxation. Of course, it's mostly my fault. There are so many things I want to do and train for, I create a world for me that holds way too much to do. I suppose, that must mean it's the kind of world I want to live in then, huh?

Here are the flowers Thr Guy bought me for Mother's Day. I love flowers.

Last night I rode home as quickly as possible and drove over the that woman's house to mow her lawn. Then zipped back home. When I got there, The Guy was already raking the backyard and was starting on cleaning up the garden. I called for pizza and then mowed our front yard until the pizza guy came. We ate and watched 2 Andy Griffith episodes with Coadster. We did go out on the porch for about a half hour, but then Stinky called, wanting a ride home from work and I bought some groceries while I was there.

So, while it was only a little relaxing, at least we were able to work it in.

Just Like Children Sleepin'. We Could Dream This Night Away

2011-05-17T10:00:00.004-05:00

Sure, the cold rain can suck for humans, but it sure makes the world look pretty.

So, we went on our Monday Night Ride last night and it was lovely. It was a bit chilly on the way back, but the almost full moon more than made up for it.

Tonight I will mow lawns again, but then I hope to do some porch sittin', full moon lookin' at and take in an Andy Griffith episode or two. I figure I need to give myself some relaxation time after last weekend...

It's the Thought That Moves You Upwards

2011-05-16T08:57:00.008-05:00

The Guy and I giving Bry some birthday love.

So, Blogger was an asshole and wouldn't let me post for a couple of days. Which means, this will be as brief a post as I can write, with as much stuff as I have to fill it with...

Okay. Another whirlwind weekend. Friday I worked a half day. I ran when I got off and then it rained and rained. The girls and I went and bought garden stuff, but didn't have time to plant it all. The Guy and I made dinner and went out for a couple of drinks for our friend Bry's birthday, but were home and in bed by 10:30.

We got up and got ready on Saturday morning and headed to a small town called Farrar for a bike race. It was a cold, rainy day, but it was an interesting race. Then we had to tear home.

We got home in time for The Guy to get some stuff from the store and me to clean and us both to cook, before Bry, his girlfriend and our friend Timmer came over for a birthday BBQ. Bry's girlfriend brought steak and pasta salad and this strawberry shortcake thing with homemade whipped cream that was amazing. We grilled salmon and made salad and friend potatoes.

After that, we stopped down at George's to have exactly one beer and say happy birthday to our friend, D. I was super exhausted, so I had to go home.

I went running, early on Sunday morning. Then The Guy went out and bought bagels. It was Coadster's 19th birthday, so her boyfriend was here all weekend. We gave her her birthday gifts and then The Guy and I headed to Des Moines for a criterium at the state fairgrounds, I had never seen him race a crit before, and it was pretty damn cool. When he was done, we headed back home again and got ready for Coadster's birthday dinner.

Coadster loves Red Lobster, so that's where we went. We all ate a ridiculous amount of food, then Stinky went to her youth group, Coadster spent time with her boyfriend before he went back home, The Guy went to play pool with Bry and I rode my bike for a quick hour. I went down a hilly route and tried to work on getting faster uphills. I think I'll need to keep working....

She Is Like a Cat in the Dark and Then She is the Darkness

2011-05-11T12:19:00.003-05:00

Here is a weird, covered staircase on the side of a building in Riverside. Ia.

So, last night was very warm. I mowed that woman's lawn and then came home and mowed my own lawn. I came into the house all stinky and sweaty (sexy....Or not) and The Guy and I made tuna melts and salad for dinner and sat around the table talking with Coadster.

I picked up Stinky from work and then The Guy and I sat out on the screened-in porch and drank beer and talked for almost two hours. Sure, I had laundry and chores and whatever else I could be doing, but there was nothing else I would rather do.

There was a nice breeze, and the cats came out and sat with us and we had a great talk...And guess what? That's right. All that other stuff was still waiting for me when I came in the house. I'm sure I'll feel like taking care of it tonight...

This Heat has Got Right Out of Hand

2011-05-10T12:58:00.002-05:00

It is supposed to get up to 90 degrees here in Iowa. I love hot weather, so I'm saying, "Finally!" I have (get) to mow a lawn or two after work, so ask me later if I'm still saying that...

We had our first Monday Night Ride and it was a lot of fun. It went a lot later than normal and The Guy and I were both pretty beat by the time we got home. Tonight, we're making a huge point to stay home and relax. Ahhhhh.

The swarmer termites are back in our house. Coadster texted me, freaking out and said they were everywhere and Archie was eating them. Lovely. Well, at least he's getting his protein. I put a call into the pest control people but haven't heard back yet. It's a damn good thing I'm persistent.