Yeehaw

The cute new pink pleated tennis skirt did it's magic. We won tonight. 6-2 6-4. I always think tennis is fun, this winning thing is new and it makes it extra fun. :) Also fun that one of the girls on the opposing team I knew from high school. Always a bonus to kick the butt of some athletic chick from high school. :)

Fun and Exhausting Day

I love a good Saturday. I got up early and was on my bike by 7:15. I met Allison at Liberty Park and we rode the 45 mile round-trip ride to Saltair. I was bummed I had to turn around early last week on this ride so we decided to do it again this morning. It was fun, but I was tired and hungry by the time we got back. I also did something wacky to my hand. My pinky finger down into my arm are completely numb. It makes typing this quite interesting. I've been a spaz all day with my "bum hand" (nod to GB). The guys at the bike shop said I'd inflamed a nerve and suggested getting some special pads for my handlebars which I ordered. But I'm wondering how long this lasts. I think I'll scour my essential oil collection tonight and see if anything will help. It's really weird. I picked up my face soap in the shower and it just fell. Then I couldn't get my pants buttoned because only half my fingers work. It's like I got a huge shot of Novocaine in my hand.

After biking, I got some errands done. Bought a new mattress and TV. I thought I'd found a mattress last week, so I told Steph to come get my old one. Then I decided that I just couldn't buy anything from RC Willey. (I've had bad experiences there before) So I've been in the guest room (a.k.a. Princess Room) the last few nights. Anyway, I'm excited for the new stuff. New stuff is always fun.

I picked up a bunch of pizza from The Pie and headed down to mom & dad's. We had a family yard work evening. (steph will you send me the pics) We got a lot done, but oh my, that is a huge job. I don't know how mom & dad do that! By 9, I was ready to fall over. I feel like an old lady, achy back, legs, bum hand, really tired. I stopped to see Aunt Janet for a minute on the way home. We had a nice chat on the porch. I miss having a porch in the summer evenings!

Kasey

Krista, Maddie (Krista's friend) and Katie.

Kane, Will and Maya. Will has a snake painted on his face from the community parade.

Asher bringing garbage bags to everyone.

Even, baby Lukie had a shovel and wanted to help!

Now I'm home and I'm not sure why I'm not in bed. Duh.

Going the Distance

(I'm sorry this has turned into a lot of biking blog. I'll try to diversify in future posts)

I've done a couple of distance rides this past week and I have to say that it's really fun, even better than straight up a canyon and back down. (Not that that isn't fun too.) Last Saturday, I rode Antelope Island. Last night, I rode with a group from Liberty Park to Saltair (however, I turned around early so I could be back to the park for my tennis class). Here are some things I've learned from the experiences.

1) This is going to be expensive. I now NEED a computer and extra cages for water. Also, one pair of biking shorts isn't going to cut it for multiple rides every week.

2) I'm pretty slow. (the computer is going to totally help with this) The gang has been teaching me to group ride and it's much easier to ride behind someone, although a little scary. It was nice getting pointers on cadence, etc. Seriously, love the group for being patient and making it fun.

3) A solid breakfast is good, but doesn't tie you over the whole ride. I need to pack some Cliff Bars.

4) When you're riding alone on Antelope Island you can sing along with your ipod as loud as you want and nobody, except the roaming buffalo, will know (unless you post it on your blog later).

5) I still love that little clicking sensation when my shoes connect to my bike. I especially loved it when there were 10 of us riding and all clicking in at the same time. Something about it just makes me happy. Maybe it has to do with my tap dance roots.

Tomorrow we're doing a canyon ride. Tonight I'm shopping for some gear. :)

And to Scott, Monica, Milo and Holley-- thanks for the the fabulous, huge, warm cinnamon rolls on my doorstep when I got home. I was so tired and hungry- just what I needed. I have great neighbors! Are you sure you want to move??

The Mountain Bike

I rode with the biking group tonight. It's the first time I've gone with them this season. Two things: 1) Fun to be on the mountain bike again. I forgot with all the road riding so far this season how much I love trail riding. 2) To quote Julia Louis-Dryfus in her Seinfeld days, "It's always good to be the only girl". :)

I've enjoyed riding solo so far this season, but this group is great. I believe the broken jaw a few years ago was due to having more confidence than skill. That next summer, I felt seriously lacking in both. The guys really helped me get them back at an equal pace. I feel like if I was in the same situation again, I could hold on to it and my face would never meet that ugly giant boulder. Although, for the record, I'd prefer not to try it again.

We rode Dry Creek to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail today. I love this ride! First, it's close to my home. Somehow rides seem more legitimate when I can ride right from my condo. It brings to mind an article I read by Dave Barry about how people take stairs and elevators all day just to go to the gym in the evening and do the stair-stepper. It seems a little silly to load my bike on my car and drive somewhere to ride. I know there are a lot of great rides not so accessible to me, but proximity definitely ups the ride's value in my book.

Beyond that, it's just a great ride. Dry Creek is a steady, but not too steep, uphill climb. Just enough to make me work hard. It's technical enough to be challenging, but not so much that I'm off my bike all the time. At the top, the Shoreline trail is an incredibly fun single track overlooking the Salt Lake Valley. Today, it was green with wildflowers blooming, and the evening light made it the ride perfect.

The boys like to ride down The Bobsled which is aptly named. For me, it's total panic at the first, and then, just when it starts getting fun, it's over. I prefer to turn around and ride back down Dry Creek. It is my favorite- downward rolling single track. Good times! The new guy in the group really enjoys the ride down Dry Creek too, so he and I met the gang back at the park. It was a very satisfying evening.

Bugs

We celebrated Kane's birthday this weekend. Betsey and I decorated cupcakes like bugs for the party. (BTW, I have a good friend named Betsey and I'm not referring to myself in third person in this post)
Maya was showing us what she learned in her first ballet class- she is so stinking cute!

Bug cupcakes. We cut cookies and frosted them for the wings.

Maya and her cupcake.

Kane eating his cupcake. He was being very shy and didn't want to pose for the photo. He also was pretty upset having all the attention while we were singing Happy Birthday. Cutie.

This was the cupcake Kane choose. Betsey made it. I went with varying colors of the same design. Bets went nuts on the creativity.

Krista and Kira, looking beautiful and enjoying the cupcakes.