Happy Holidays!

Santa was generous this year! I received a new mixer for my future baking endeavors, Cutco knives, and clothes, while Sean got his new Specialized bike and long awaited Road Warrior watch. He was able to use the snow blower to put new components on my bike in the cold garage. We've enjoyed our visit up North with the exception of my stomach flu. Monday evening I began my quarantine and by Friday I was able to eat a meal. Unfortunately, I lost valuable time with my family. We head to South Carolina on Wednesday to stay with the Wood's and farm sit. Happy Holidays!

The Winter Chill

Friday we started our trip Northward stopping at the farm for the weekend. I was fortunate to have a warm, dry evening to ride Molly before the rain settled in on Saturday. Sunday we drove to Indiana watching the thermometer in car drop from 54 degrees at 8am, to 1 degree (-20 wind chill) at 7pm at my folks house. As good friend Joy would say, "you are a Midwesterner gone South." This I know is true since I have been freezing since Kentucky. Rules to live by in this weather are:

1. No skin can be exposed for less than 5 seconds outside without severe burning
2. Wool socks are required in the house since all doors, cabinets, etc. are open to avoid pipe freezing
3. Warm tea is required all day
4. Hot baths are the only way to truly get warm
5. Clean up dog poo, since they won't venture more than 10 feet from the house due to the cold
6. Plan trips out of the house wisely, you don't want expose skin (see # 1)

A Party Weekend

It was a busy weekend full of parties! Saturday I managed to hang in the chicken ride,despite numerous attempts to charm the boys and encourage a slower pace. I got the comment when asking for assistance, "I think you look fine." Needless to say my legs felt like jello the rest of the day, but I was happy, as Foster put it, to be home. Sean rode in Greenville on the Winter Bike League with his team and in the evening we both attended our team parties. It's always great to see all our friends and catch up. Sunday we hosted Jennifer's baby shower at Scott's house and had a great turnout! I was elated my cake and diaper center piece turned out so well. Thanks to Danna and Caroline for all the mentoring. Baking is hard work and has taken me a few years to finally weather the storm and successfully make cake and icing that looks decent enough to eat! We are back in the Boro, which I will admit is welcome this time of year. I have a week catching up at work, no teaching, and temps in the 70s. Sean has to work all week and then we head to GVL for the Sullivan benefit ride and then to Indiana for the holidays.

I couldn't resist...

Thanksgiving Break

We spent the first week of break in Boone, NC with good friend Joy. You can see the tempratures dropped and the white stuff fell! Although I didn't get on my bike, Sean managed to mustard the courage for a few rides. We spent the rest of the break in Clemson visiting friends. We got to spent time with Zac before the Wood's traveled to FL and rode with the gang in Clemson and GVL. It will be busy next few weeks as I head to Kiawah and then GVL for social gatherings. Only two more weeks of school and winter break is here!

A Year Better

This same time last year Sean and I rode the Claxton Metric Century. I could line-up my excuses as to why I had not been on the bike; i.e. mono, dissertation defense, moving, new job, etc., but will spare you all the details. It went down on record as one of my worst rides ever that included bonking, pouting, crying, and at complete defeat, drinking a coke and eating a snicker bar on the front sidewalk of a fried chicken joint in the middle of rural Georgia. This year we met 4 Georgia Southern cyclists 5 miles from an intersection on the ride course--of course Sean rode to the ride, but wanted to hitch a ride home in the car. We rolled out around around 8am to sunny skies, cool temps, beautiful fall colors, and lots of cotton. We finished the ride in just over 4 hours, averaged around 19mph for a total of 77 miles. What a difference a year makes! I felt great after the ride, although my legs were certainly not happy with me. Sunday morning Sean went for an easy ride and I put in a 6 mile run, that took everything I had to finish. It was a great weekend to get some long miles in and enjoy the warm weather. We'll stay in the Boro this weekend as well so I can prepare for the end of the semester and pack for our trip to the mountains for holiday.

To Infinity and Beyond

We had a great weekend in Clemson, Greenville, Virginia, and Athens. Luckily, we split up to cover this ground. Sean enjoyed a weekend training session with Jim on power meters. I went with Jen & Terry trick-or-treating with Buzz Light Year. Although he was very excited to get candy, he tired quickly and had little stamina. Jennifer and I pushed him to continue collecting candy, indicating he needed to toughen up...we wanted more candy! Saturday I had a great day riding with the girls in Greenville. The Clemson girls drove up to join the fun and we had a great ride under the fall canapy of colors. It was great to see Caroline back on the bike! We attended the Hincapie Path dedication and got some promo shots for PR pieces. Sunday I ran with Dart and Jen, then headed out to see Molly. She is fully recovered at this point. When I rode her she was very fiesty, a good indication she is feeling better. Monday and Tuesday we were in Athens for a conference. I realized Monday night Sean left my suit at Jennifer's, so I had to make a quick run to Target to find some decent clothes to present in. Luckily, they were open, although I had less than an hour to find an outfit. Design Star here I come! He spent the day Tuesday exploring Athens and taking the dogs to a few parks. The drive home was long and when we stopped for dinner in the little downtown of Swainsboro, we had less than steller service. They didn't even give us a discount for forgetting to put our order in. So, I left a 10% tip and a long note about customer service on the ticket. After I left I realized how old I felt! Ug! We are glad to be home and will have some weekends of relaxation until Thanksgiving break when we head to Boone, NC for a visit with Joy, and then Clemson to house sit.

Down Time

We spent the weekend relaxing in the Boro. Unfortunately, Sean has strep throat and I think I may be on my way. Although antibiotics can't do much, it will help prevent spreading it to everyone we are in contact with. Saturday I had a great day at the farmers market, suprise estate sale, and the opening of Books A Million and TJ Maxx. I know it doesn't sound like much, but for our little Boro it's a big deal! There may be an economic downturn on our horizon, but you would not have known it. These stores were bustling and I have to admit the glam and glitz of such enterprises drew me in. I wanted everything in TJ Maxx and managed to narrow it down to just a handful of itmes, including a great pair of Ariat boots. I realized this is the first time I've been in a store outside of thrift shops since last Christmas in Indiana. I fear I may be out of style! Next weekend we are off the Clemson, Sean to Virigina with Jim for a coaching clinic, and then Athens for the first part of next week for a conference. Looking forward to seeing the girls in the Upstate. Until next time...

Fast Rides, Good Food, and Great Friends

We had a great time in Tsali this weekend! The riding was unbelievable, as always. You can't go wrong with fast, flat trails. Temperatures were perfect hovering around 60 degrees under sunny skies. I think the guys hammered on Saturday and when I saw the group, Sperry was so out of breath he was speechless...a strange site. Us girls rolled around the woods at fast speeds as well, making me think if I did wreck there were going to be broken bones, not the typical road rash. Although that should have slowed me down, my competitive side wouldn't let it. Thanks to Danna for a great cake and salad, Liz for the chili, Ed for the wings, and of course Rae for the coordinating and special treats (Rae-Rita's). You will also see pix of my Molly and her now healed wound. It's really amazing! At home this weekend for a much needed rest.

Tsali Pictures

Heading to Tsali for the Weekend

My head is dancing with images of beautiful fall leaves, cold camping nights, and roadies wrecking on their mountain bikes. I can't wait! Stay tuned for some great pix...

Greenville Cycling Classic Weekend

We had a great time in Greenville this weekend visiting friends and racing. Thanks to Caroline and Paul for their hospitality and all of Sean's teammates for putting up with him! :) I raced Saturday and was happy to finish, while teammates secured top ten places. Sean placed 5th in the Master's race and 11th in the Pro1,2 race Saturday. Sunday he secured 15th in the Pro1,2 race after making a strategic move ensuring a teammates place in the break. We had a great Saturday evening celebrating Dawn & Bo's upcoming bundle of joy. Sunday was a long drive home and Monday morning came entirely too soon for me. Heading to Tsali camping and mountain biking next weekend. Maybe we'll get some sleep in a few weeks.

Low Country Weekend

It was a busy weekend on the coast. I was the cycling venue director for the Special Olympics this weekend. We secured the fall games in Statesboro for 3 years. Thanks to the help of my students and the GSU cycling team, we were able to run the TT on time with no accidents. It was a great experience for me. You'll see a pix below of Lanier and her unified tandem teammate (able bodied) Lauren. She rode two races that were 5k's, which took her 30 minutes on her sweet pink Electra!
The races in Beaufort, SC this weekend had low turnout. They combined the men's field so it was a Pro 1,2,3 and Masters race for each event. Unfortunately, due to my obligations I couldn't race. Sean won both Masters races and placed 2nd and 3rd in the Pro 1,2,3 races. He was able to clear some nice race winnings. Afterward, we drove to Hunting Island State Park, SC and enjoyed the afternoon on the beach. Unfortunately, it was very cold with clouds and high winds. It was the first time the pups had been to the beach and they loved it! I think we'll go back for a long weekend. Looking forward to being in GVL next weekend for the Cycling Classic.

Perfect!

I saw this for a T-shirt and think it should be my motto!

Much Better

We were at the farm this weekend taking care of Molly as well as racing/riding with friends. The BMW race was a lot of fun. I arrived just in time to get my kit on. Unforuntaly, there was no women's race but a group of us road with the Cat 4/5s until they tried to take most of out. Sean raced well and starting to feel better after his tick bite, placing 3rd. It was good to see everyone. The pictures below show Molly is healing surprisingly well. The wound is smaller than a golf ball and the hair is growing back. She is acting like herself, talking to me, and trotting around the field and loves her new pink halter! The Woods came over Saturday and Zac was able to retrieve the eggs for me. He fits in the hen box much better than I. We have a big weekend coming up with the Special Olympics in town, where I am the cycling venue director as well as the local races in Beaufort.

Happy Birthday...

Sean (39) and Caroline (29). What great people were born on the same day! Caroline is still much younger than Sean, despite what the calender says. Sean spent his weekend racing with teammates in Fort Mill and Columbia, SC. They dominated the Masters Races winning both days with top 10's and top 20's in the Pro races. I stayed at home to catch up on chores, relax, and prepare for the next month of travels. Also, started my half marathon training, leading me to the conclusion you should never train to race in two sports. Pain is on my training schedule for a while. Planning to go to Clemson next weekend to see my Molly. The updates are good and her wound is getting smaller each day, supposedly she is really milking the attention. Will have pix next weekend.

Healing...

As most of you know my horse had an unfortunate encounter with a gate in her field. I am lucky to have such great horse people in my life that care for Molly as I do. Our visit this weekend to the farm was an emotional one for me. I was able to care for her, although it broke my heart to see her hurt. Here are a few pictures below. I will post pictures as the wound heals.

Age or Maturity?

Never give a camera to a 4 year old and an almost 40 year old. I don't know who's idea it was and I am not asking!

Farm Fun, Bike Racing, and Old Friends

We had a whirlwind of a weekend in Clemson/Greenville/Atlanta. Sean and I farm sat in addition to our team duties and were exhausted when we hit the Boro Monday evening. Saturday was the South Carolina State Road Championships. Sean's team CTM was able to secure gold in the Pro 1,2 for the 2nd year as well as the 45 and 50 year age groups. Team BI-LO secured the 35 and 40 age group wins for gold. Sunday was the US Pro Cycling Championships. I rode with my team at 7am on Sunday for the P3 Stars and Stripes Challenge that followed the same 22 mile course the pros rode. Believe it or not, it was my first time to officially climb Paris Mountain. The girls were awesome and hung with my despite my low climbing cadence. We had just enough time to clean-up and head to the volunteer check-in. Later that day Sean headed to Atlanta with teammates to race in the Atlanta 100K on Monday. Despite a wreck with 2 laps to go, he was able to chase back on and still get 23rd out of the 122 Pros that finished. He has minimal road rash and just a sore hip. Monday I rode with the Clemson girls and spent the rest of the day doing farm chores and driving to the Boro. It was a great weekend and I feel so lucky to have so many great friends!