GO RAMS!

With the Democratic National Convention and Hillary Clinton running around Denver in her Bronco Orange pantsuits, the big event for this weekend has been overshadowed…

The Rocky Mountain Showdown!!!


Sunday Aug. 31, Kick-off is at 5:30pm

GO RAMS!!!

Where is the Frozen Dead Guy?

This weekend E and I headed up to Eldora for his mountain bike race.

We decided to stay in Nederland and partake in the fun adventures Nederland had to offer. Ned Fest Music festival was in full swing so the town was full of Trustifarian hippy’s that shelled out 45 shackles to listen to crappy hippy music and peruse a crap-fair. That was off limits unless you paid the cash to listen to the bad music. We decided instead to wander around town and look for the frozen dead guy.

The shed we found looked like it would be where the frozen dead guy was, but it was empty…as was the shed next too it that was unlocked. I know, because I had to look inside, all that was in it was a kayak and a dozen or so document boxes.

So we didn’t find the frozen dead guy, what we did find was a bunch of stinky hippies and a couple of successful races for E. Who placed 3rd in Short Track and 4th in Cross Country, securing his second place standing in the Mountain States Cup Series for the season.



I’ll take the smell of a mountain biker any day over Patchouli…ANY DAY!

Puppy Picture Friday

Look! Mom got a new camera...



I'd really like a cookie now, look how cute I am...

Random Topic for Discussion

Yesterday in a weekly staff meeting we had an interesting topic of discussion. See, once a week my team of 5 will get a room, we address agenda topics, issues with our account and other work related matters, and the last 30 minutes or left over time we sometimes go off on strange conversation tangents since it is the one time during the week we are away from our desks, computers and daily work. In the spring time we would discuss gardening tips , in the winter, winter driving skills, who knows where these discussions may lead. It is always interesting, random, unplanned and I feel like it builds a personal team rapport. We get to know each other outside of our work titles. Yesterday was no different.

One person made comment that they had to go to the doctor in the afternoon and they (jokingly) stated the doctor may tell them they only have 6 months to live.

This brought up the question: “if you were told you only had 6 months to live, would you come to work the next day?”

I was surprised by the response. I was the only person that stated, not only NO, but HELL NO! If I was told I had 6 months to live, the last thing I would do would be spend my last days in the office. No offense co-workers, love ya, but I gotta go.

The arguments most people on my team had revolved around families and they needed to support their families in their dying months. My thought was, even more of a reason to not be at work, spend time with your families.

I guess I think differently than most people.

Homemade Gifts for Small People

Approximately 4.5 years ago my best friend told me she and her husband were expecting their first child. I wanted to make something special for her and her new baby.

I started cross stitching

A few months later my Carpal Tunnel issues got to be unbearable. I traded in stitching for massage therapy, accupunture, and physical therapy, and eventually dual surgerys on my hands (but hat is a WHOLE other story)

I recuperated

I started stitching again.

My friend had another baby.

Her son is now 4 and her daughter is now past her first birthday.

The gifts have changed some.

This weekend I presented her with her baby’s gifts. A yellow Super-hero Cape for her oldest. The completed baby quilt for her youngest.

I was told her son’s favorite color was yellow, and unbeknownst to me just the week before he had been asking his mom what he could use as a cape.

The night that she got home and gave her son the gift I had made for him I got the best phone call I have had in a long time. A sweet, excited voice on the other end of my phone filled with excitement telling me how much he loves his super-hero cape and now he can fly. I asked if he was ready to rid the world of all evil now that he was an official super-hero. He responded “no, I think I’ll just fly around”.



I like that, not all super hero's need to save the world, We need some to just fly around...

Weekend in Steamboat

What do you get when you mix three friends, wine, good food, shopping and a hot springs under a full moon?

A fantastic weekend!

My best friend from high school (Nuclear Mom) left her husband in charge of child duties and jumped on a plane from Washington. I don’t know who to be more grateful too, her for doing it or her amazing husband that said three months ago, “you should go, we’ll be fiiine, really, go”. (What a great guy!)

My other girlfriend from college drove up from Denver and met us on Saturday. By the time she had arrived, NM and I had scoped out the best shoe stores, spied a couple of new restaurants we were thinking of trying and found who had the best wine list for mid-day refreshments.

Bonus for us in the evening, it was a full moon for our adventure to Strawberry Park. One of my favorite hot springs nestled in the mountains away from light pollution and near my old house when I lived in Steamboat another lifetime ago. We sat in the water, sipped our ‘juice boxes’ and girl talked. Figured out all of life’s mysteries and quickly forgot them as the fog rolled off the water.

Life happens and friendships ebb and flow. It is weekends like this that makes me grateful to have such amazing girl friends in my life.

And a REALLY cute new pair of shoes!!! Or two…

Offensive Language

Apparently my last post had a curse word in it.

On the radio this morning, I learned “Retard” is now a curse word and the PC police want us to refer to is as “the R word”—Whatever

My bad…

Bee’s Prefer Retards

Tonight, on his way home from work, E came by and picked me up so I could get my rode bike I left at his house and go for a bike ride tonight.

He was on his super cool, tough, expensive looking Harley Davidson motorcycle. I wore my cycling shoes and bicycle helmet.

I looked HAWT!

We were laughing that it looked like he was taking a retard on a motorcycle ride. At that moment, I felt a sting on my left wrist. I looked down and a bee was in full on “if I am dying from this I am going to make it a good one dammit” sting operation. Little bastard!

Holy Schnikey THAT HURT!!!

Even better, I didn’t want to move around too much while riding on the back of the bike so I am flayling my left arm trying to get the little ‘F’er’ to stop stinging me and get off me. I am NOT a bug pin cushion, thank you very much!

Add Bees to my list of flying things I hate, right next to hummingbirds…

Dear Iowa:

Please send the remainder of my lungs back to me. I think I left them in your state. I was in Winterpark this weekend and even though my legs had no problems with the climbs, my partial lungs were crying. Please send express delivery since next weekend is Steamboat and even though there is no riding being planned I may like to have my full lung capasity for the long girl talks and laughing that will certainly ensue.
Thanks!

So Sad

I have thought of many different ways to write this post, but I figured others said it better than me.

Bottom line, two more cyclists were killed this week in Colorado Springs, by a person abusing drugs none-the-less. I am angry, sad, and full of mixed emotions. I was an acquaintance of EJ and knew of Jayson.

Last night was a very emotional memorial bike ride from Wooglins Deli to the crime scene on 26th street. It was amazing to see how many people came out in the rain to ride for these guys, how the police gave help by blocking traffic and offering support.

Over 100 people showed up for the ride and even more were waiting with at the crime scene. The cycling community in the Springs is a very tight one, and to lose two lives in such a senseless manner is emotionally shattering.

My heart aches.

Details can be read here, and some other friends have written blogs here and here.

There are so many things I can write about, the survivalists, the senseless-ness, the almosts...I think I’ll leave this post here.

Ragbrai Lessons and Pictures

Alright I have been home a week now. Here is my Ragbrai assessment with pictures.


Our team, Morning of Final day. We don't look too bad for clocking in over 400 miles at this point. Plus, we are still smiling. That is a bonus

I had a fabulous time. A few things I learned.

1) Iowans have to be the nicest people in the whole wide world. At any time someone that lives in Iowa will gladly talk to you, ask you where you are from and offer encouragement. Sometimes they even offer showers too. With clean towels to boot!
By the fan fare we had you would have thought le Tour de France was rolling through towns, kids would high five, and families would be sitting in their lawn chairs waving. It really is amazing! Even farmers would set up HUGE Slip and Slides on their lawns to offer cyclists a break from the heat in the afternoon. Upper torso clothing optional. Everyone I saw kept their cycling shorts on. Wet Chamoix just adds that much more enjoyment. Luckily these slides were usually close to the overnight towns. So the final part of the bike ride that day wasn’t too far.


2) Iowa is NOT Vegetarian friendly. Unless you are content to live off corn, Pie and Iceberg lettuce salads. The best dinner in towns can usually be found in a church or a street vendor selling spaghetti. Unless you are lucky enough to find a pizza joint. Luckily there was Pastafari and Peanut butter jam ont eh route every day. Nothing is better than a made to order PB&J and cold milk break while on a long bike ride.
I did however find vegetarian chili dog on day 5. Now I remember why it has been over 20 years since I ate a chili dog. It was terrible! But I needed food and who could pass up this picture opportunity?


3) Miss Bick and I are still great travel partners, however by the end of the week our tent did have a funky foot smell. Conveniently stinky foot smell night coincided with water bottle margarita night, so we didn’t notice the smell of our tent. (in our defense the humidity in Iowa was intense and our tent was packed away wet every morning from all the dew, the stinky foot smell we are convinced was the tent…not us.)

Our home for the week, Day 1--before funky smell:


3) Super hero capes DO help you climb the big hills in Iowa. Miss Bick and I sported capes two different days.



5) Cows can be vocal if you try to feed them. Here I stopped to try to pet a cow. Why? Because that is what one would do in Iowa, right? The farmer came over and called her cows to the fence. The cows were very vocal with what they thought about all these cyclists going by. They also have terrible breath.


6) When encouraged to evacuate camp because a storm is coming near. It is a good idea to evacuate. One night we were woken up by fire trucks at 2:30 in the morning telling us a storm with high winds and hail was near. The next morning, we learned, even though we missed the storm, a tornado touched down in the next town and reeked havoc on a farm. So maybe the night spent in the basement of a town’s auditorium wasn’t so bad.

7) Peeing in a cornfield is sometimes better than the Kybo’s in the next town.

8) Kybo = Porta Potty. In Iowa everyone calls them Kybo’s—I don’t know why.

When asked "would you do it again?"

Answer "HELL YEAH!!!"

Questions: "Next year?"

Answer: "uh, let me get back to you on that. I still crave the "lay on the beach and do very little" vacations..."

I'm an Aunt Again!

Yesturday afternoon, August 3, 2008. My sister Leslie and her fiance Jon welcomed into the world their son, Wyatt James Hanson.

Welcome to the world little man! I can't wait to meet you in person.

8/6/08
Update: Yesturday I played hooky from work and went up to meet Wyatt. As soon as I held him he put his little hand on my cheek and I was done. He knows who to schmooze in this family.

His dad dressed him for this picture...