I invited some girlfriends over for drinks last night, and as my best girlfriend, Rainbow was ready to help. When I got home from work last night, she was dressed for company in a cute little skirt and top and she couldn’t wait to help me get ready. She ran upstairs to pick out my outfit and presented me with a business skirt and a sweater that didn’t match. I told her that I was thinking about wearing shorts, so she quickly selected a different outfit for me and then ran to change her own. After we were both dressed, she said we looked “cute and casual.”
Next Rainbow began assembling appetizers. She served peanuts, chips, and vegetables. She even offered strawberries which are her absolute favorite – high praise. She kept asking when my friends were going to be there so she could entertain them. She was so excited when the doorbell rang!
We all had martinis – ours were the famous-in-my-own-mind Blackbirds while Rainbow had water in a plastic martini glass. She entertained us with her Miley Cirus CD – always a crowd pleaser – and a gymnastics exhibition before settling in for some girl talk.
After another Blackbird, I was repeating myself yet acting as though I was telling a story for the first time. And then after champagne (which is quite tasty over the Blackbird fruit), I’m pretty sure I was slurring my words and no one cared whether I was repeating myself or not. Or maybe that was just me.
In fact, I may or may not have committed to doing Ironman Florida 2009.
(Actually, I’m kidding. I know emphatically that I did no such thing.)
After the girls left, I told Scouter that I was really drunk. He chuckled and shook his head knowingly. Somehow this morning I awoke in my bed in my pjs even though I have no recollection of getting there.
I need to learn to pace myself.
Perhaps I need more practice. Happy hour anyone?
Cheers!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Or then again, let's not...
After my fun bike ride on Monday morning, I was looking forward to going again today – especially since my riding buddy Richard was joining me. We haven’t been able to cycle together much at all since winter.
The first sign that the ride was ill-fated occurred Monday night, when my poor little angel Rainbow threw up most of the night. I warned Richard that I may be next and we arranged that I would email him this morning if I could still come. Fortunately, I didn’t get sick (yet) and I was ready to roll.
My uncertainty must have thrown Richard off his game because he arrived without cycling shoes and couldn’t go. I’m not a big fan of riding by myself but since I was awake and ready at 6:00 a.m., I figured I may as well do a short ride.
Being alone with my thoughts is not a good thing.
For the first few miles, my whiny self-talk was all about how crappy I felt, how my quads were burning and my legs were tired, where I could pull over in case the stomach bug hit, blah blah blah. Then I hit a more remote section of the route and my negative little brain began to imagine all sorts of situations wherein I, a solo rider, was abducted and tortured in some way. I actually started imagining calling Scouter to give him a description (“scary”) and license plate (“freaky stalker”) of someone following me. This exercise went on for a few miles until I finally turned around. Since I was still in a remote area, I then had the opportunity to dwell on how I would protect myself against someone if necessary. Finally I reached civilization again and got my mind back on my ride. It was a relief to think about hills, pedal strokes, and breathing.
When I got back to my car, I was a sweaty mess. I’m not sure whether it was the humidity or my self-induced anxiety. Statistics were 15 miles at 17.5 mph average speed.
Come join me next week, will ya? I need to be saved from myself.
The first sign that the ride was ill-fated occurred Monday night, when my poor little angel Rainbow threw up most of the night. I warned Richard that I may be next and we arranged that I would email him this morning if I could still come. Fortunately, I didn’t get sick (yet) and I was ready to roll.
My uncertainty must have thrown Richard off his game because he arrived without cycling shoes and couldn’t go. I’m not a big fan of riding by myself but since I was awake and ready at 6:00 a.m., I figured I may as well do a short ride.
Being alone with my thoughts is not a good thing.
For the first few miles, my whiny self-talk was all about how crappy I felt, how my quads were burning and my legs were tired, where I could pull over in case the stomach bug hit, blah blah blah. Then I hit a more remote section of the route and my negative little brain began to imagine all sorts of situations wherein I, a solo rider, was abducted and tortured in some way. I actually started imagining calling Scouter to give him a description (“scary”) and license plate (“freaky stalker”) of someone following me. This exercise went on for a few miles until I finally turned around. Since I was still in a remote area, I then had the opportunity to dwell on how I would protect myself against someone if necessary. Finally I reached civilization again and got my mind back on my ride. It was a relief to think about hills, pedal strokes, and breathing.
When I got back to my car, I was a sweaty mess. I’m not sure whether it was the humidity or my self-induced anxiety. Statistics were 15 miles at 17.5 mph average speed.
Come join me next week, will ya? I need to be saved from myself.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Let's Ride!
I’ve been coordinating 6 a.m. bike rides throughout the summer. While my email distribution list is long, there haven’t been many takers. Typically, only one person joins me. It’s been fun to ride with different people throughout the summer. On the peak ride (so far), there were five of us which was a blast.
Yesterday, TriGirls Amy and Jennifer joined me. As usual, I cursed profusely when the alarm clock went off and it was still pitch black outside. Why oh why do I do this to myself, I wondered. Then my stomach blobbed over my pajamas as I got out of bed and I was quickly reminded of one good reason.
As I got all my stuff together and headed out the door, I was surprised that it was foggy and sprinkling a bit. I hadn’t communicated an inclement weather plan and Jennifer was traveling a long way to ride so I figured I’d better go anyway. The fog increased significantly as I was driving and I definitely thought there would be no ride. Starbucks was sounding really good to me… assuming it is even open that early. But as I got closer to West Creek, the fog lessened. Hmm, maybe.
No one else appeared to be questioning whether to ride or not, so I got myself together, managed to pump my tires without giving myself a flat, and off we went. The fog was intermittent but not too bad along River Road. We had limited time so we rode out 30 minutes and then turned around at Parham to come back. Somehow I ended up in the lead – age before beauty I guess – and I could hear J and Amy talking and laughing some behind me. River is a little busy so it’s not a great chatting route but it is a fun ride. There are a few reasonably challenging uphills and therefore some fun dive-bomb downhills. In total, we rode a tad over 17 miles at 17.3 mph average.
And that’s when I remembered why I get up so early to ride. What a fabulous way to start the day. I can’t wait to do it again.
Yesterday, TriGirls Amy and Jennifer joined me. As usual, I cursed profusely when the alarm clock went off and it was still pitch black outside. Why oh why do I do this to myself, I wondered. Then my stomach blobbed over my pajamas as I got out of bed and I was quickly reminded of one good reason.
As I got all my stuff together and headed out the door, I was surprised that it was foggy and sprinkling a bit. I hadn’t communicated an inclement weather plan and Jennifer was traveling a long way to ride so I figured I’d better go anyway. The fog increased significantly as I was driving and I definitely thought there would be no ride. Starbucks was sounding really good to me… assuming it is even open that early. But as I got closer to West Creek, the fog lessened. Hmm, maybe.
No one else appeared to be questioning whether to ride or not, so I got myself together, managed to pump my tires without giving myself a flat, and off we went. The fog was intermittent but not too bad along River Road. We had limited time so we rode out 30 minutes and then turned around at Parham to come back. Somehow I ended up in the lead – age before beauty I guess – and I could hear J and Amy talking and laughing some behind me. River is a little busy so it’s not a great chatting route but it is a fun ride. There are a few reasonably challenging uphills and therefore some fun dive-bomb downhills. In total, we rode a tad over 17 miles at 17.3 mph average.
And that’s when I remembered why I get up so early to ride. What a fabulous way to start the day. I can’t wait to do it again.
Monday, July 28, 2008
This Weekend at the Lake
My titles are so very creative, aren’t they?!?!
Months ago, Cate, Beanie and I scheduled a weekend with our families at Cate’s parent’s amazing lake house. Thank goodness we did because all our summers have been so busy that we’ve barely seen each other!
Cate, Beanie and families arrived early for some play time at the lake and, apparently, many many cocktails. By the time we arrived, everyone was very happy. Loopy, even. We hung out on the dock for awhile and caught up. I was so tired and was shocked to find that although I thought I was going to bed early, it was actually 1 a.m. following several margaritas and lots of girl talk. Fortunately, I felt okay the next morning. I can’t say the same about my two girlfriends!
Saturday morning, they slept and I ran while the boys took the kiddies fishing and out on the boat for some tubing. After an intermission to jet ski, where Scouter tried to launch me from my seat, we all went out on the boat in the afternoon. Taz couldn’t wait to try knee-boarding. He practiced near the shore and was ready to go once he got on the board behind the boat. He did great! He also wanted to try water skiing which didn’t go so well. He popped up but kept going forward, getting a face full of lake. Whoops! Rainbow surprised me by wanting to knee board too, and she also popped right up and had a great ride. Both of them had big smiles on their faces the whole time.
Once all the kids who wanted to had an opportunity to knee board or ski, the adults got in the mix with water skis. Scouter went first. He is a hot dog on skis, constantly cutting back and forth through the wake and trying to race the boat. When it was my turn, I couldn’t wait and leaped in the lake. I have always slalom-skied and can’t really ski on two skis as a result, so Rainbow thought I was the best skier because I dropped one (tee hee). I mostly stayed behind the boat but I did blow through the wake a few times just to see if I could still do it. It was a blast!
By the time we finished dinner that night, I thought I was going to fall asleep standing up. Somehow I managed to rally for longer than I thought before I collapsed into bed, fully anesticized. (Which I’ve spelled so badly that spell check can’t even figure out what I mean – hopefully, you can.)
The next day, we got to do it all again. Well, except for the running and the skiing for me. I had more of a lazy day on the boat watching the kids knee board, then we lounged on the dock for awhile before we had to head home. We were teasing Cate’s husband about being our activity director for the weekend. He is quite good at it! Very, very fun.
My grandparents had a river house so I grew up spending summers at the river, water skiing, fishing, and crabbing. What a great way to spend the summer as a kid! My parents have the house now and I’m thinking they need to buy a ski boat… for the grandchildren, you know!
Months ago, Cate, Beanie and I scheduled a weekend with our families at Cate’s parent’s amazing lake house. Thank goodness we did because all our summers have been so busy that we’ve barely seen each other!
Cate, Beanie and families arrived early for some play time at the lake and, apparently, many many cocktails. By the time we arrived, everyone was very happy. Loopy, even. We hung out on the dock for awhile and caught up. I was so tired and was shocked to find that although I thought I was going to bed early, it was actually 1 a.m. following several margaritas and lots of girl talk. Fortunately, I felt okay the next morning. I can’t say the same about my two girlfriends!
Saturday morning, they slept and I ran while the boys took the kiddies fishing and out on the boat for some tubing. After an intermission to jet ski, where Scouter tried to launch me from my seat, we all went out on the boat in the afternoon. Taz couldn’t wait to try knee-boarding. He practiced near the shore and was ready to go once he got on the board behind the boat. He did great! He also wanted to try water skiing which didn’t go so well. He popped up but kept going forward, getting a face full of lake. Whoops! Rainbow surprised me by wanting to knee board too, and she also popped right up and had a great ride. Both of them had big smiles on their faces the whole time.
Once all the kids who wanted to had an opportunity to knee board or ski, the adults got in the mix with water skis. Scouter went first. He is a hot dog on skis, constantly cutting back and forth through the wake and trying to race the boat. When it was my turn, I couldn’t wait and leaped in the lake. I have always slalom-skied and can’t really ski on two skis as a result, so Rainbow thought I was the best skier because I dropped one (tee hee). I mostly stayed behind the boat but I did blow through the wake a few times just to see if I could still do it. It was a blast!
By the time we finished dinner that night, I thought I was going to fall asleep standing up. Somehow I managed to rally for longer than I thought before I collapsed into bed, fully anesticized. (Which I’ve spelled so badly that spell check can’t even figure out what I mean – hopefully, you can.)
The next day, we got to do it all again. Well, except for the running and the skiing for me. I had more of a lazy day on the boat watching the kids knee board, then we lounged on the dock for awhile before we had to head home. We were teasing Cate’s husband about being our activity director for the weekend. He is quite good at it! Very, very fun.
My grandparents had a river house so I grew up spending summers at the river, water skiing, fishing, and crabbing. What a great way to spend the summer as a kid! My parents have the house now and I’m thinking they need to buy a ski boat… for the grandchildren, you know!
Workout Week in Review
I haven’t done one of these posts in awhile but I’m reasonably happy with my level of activity last week so… here goes!
Sunday: I actually ran on the weekend – shocking! We were in the mountains so my run was a leetle bit hilly. Garmin was not my friend and kept giving me a “weak signal” message but I’m going to assume that I ran slightly more than the 2.39 miles it registered in 45 minutes of activity. I ran a new route and there were some major hills. Even the downhills were tough because they are so steep. Nonetheless, it was great to be out and moving.
Monday: Nothing. My excuse is that I had to go out of town on business for the day, leaving at 6:45 a.m. and returning at 6:30 p.m. Yes I could have exercised that night but suffice to say, I didn’t even seriously consider the possibility.
Tuesday: Beanie couldn’t run (waahhh!) so I had to venture forth alone. I slogged along for about two miles then checked my Garmin and realized that my pace was over 11 min/mile. OMG! None of my excuses were legit so I had no choice but to pick it up. As I was running, I passed a man going the other way who had the perfect runner’s body – long, lean, muscular legs – picture a Lane girl with a penis. Seeing him forced me to confront the fact that my reduced exercise schedule coupled with the same (poor) eating habits have caused me to look remarkably like the Stay Puff marshmallow man. I picked up the pace a little more. By the time I finished four miles, I had an impressive negative split with an overall pace of 9:56 min/mile. And I was sweaty and out of breathe. Good stuff.
Wednesday: Richard is back!!!! He met me to bike at 6 a.m. I have to admit, I was a little cranky about getting up so early as always, but riding with Richard was a blast. I immediately tucked into his draft and cruised there pretty much the whole ride. Toward the end, I offered to lead. He gave me a look that said, “why bother now?” while he actually said, “that’s okay – it’s a short ride.” We rode 17 miles at 17.0 mph and discovered a great new route in the process.
Thursday: I planned to run, I really did. Beanie couldn’t join me again – our schedules were totally opposite last week. But I set my alarm and got my stuff ready the night before. When my alarm went off, Scouter looked at me and said, “You need some sleep.” I have been really really tired – this summer has been difficult sleep-wise because my kids have been staying up late and I’ve been attempting to get up early to exercise. It’s the only time I seem to be able to fit it in! Plus we didn’t get much sleep in WV last week. Once the babies woke up, my kids woke up and then it was full blast throughout each day! So anyway, on Thursday I lounged in bed for awhile. Taz woke up and we snuggled a bit. Finally at the last possible moment, I went up to our attic where Scouter keeps his weight equipment and fit in a little workout. It is amazing how much I hurt myself in 30 minutes! Granted, one must achieve a certain lack of fitness to experience these same results. I was trying to get as much exercise into a small amount of time as possible, so after a quick warm-up, I did supersets of squats, lunges, dead lifts, flies, reverse flies, static squat while doing shoulders and biceps, triceps, and abs. By that night, my pecs hurt and by the next day, my quads added their opinion to the mix. It was a good kind of pain and reminded me that I really need to get back on a normal weight lifting schedule. Once a month is probably not going to do it.
Friday: Yet again I had good intentions to run but this time they were derailed by an early morning meeting.
Saturday: I made up the Friday run and am particularly proud of myself because we were at the lake with friends (more on that later) and we stayed up late drinking margaritas the night before. I had a nice, flat four mile run at a smoking (for me) 9:06 min/mile pace. Later that day, I water skied for the first time in years – literally, I think I’ve skied one other time since college and I didn’t ski more than twice while I was in college, but I used to ski a lot as a kid. It was so fun that I didn’t want to stop! When I did, my hammies were quivering. The next day (and today), my upper back and shoulders were very vocal about how old ladies maybe shouldn’t attempt to water ski. I wouldn’t have listened but didn’t have the opportunity to go again anyway. Probably best for my ability to move today!
So this week, we’ll see whether I learned a lesson about the benefits of exercise or not. I’ve started out questionably with nothing on Sunday and a bike ride on Monday. Will there be another WWIR next week? We’ll all just have to wait and see…
Sunday: I actually ran on the weekend – shocking! We were in the mountains so my run was a leetle bit hilly. Garmin was not my friend and kept giving me a “weak signal” message but I’m going to assume that I ran slightly more than the 2.39 miles it registered in 45 minutes of activity. I ran a new route and there were some major hills. Even the downhills were tough because they are so steep. Nonetheless, it was great to be out and moving.
Monday: Nothing. My excuse is that I had to go out of town on business for the day, leaving at 6:45 a.m. and returning at 6:30 p.m. Yes I could have exercised that night but suffice to say, I didn’t even seriously consider the possibility.
Tuesday: Beanie couldn’t run (waahhh!) so I had to venture forth alone. I slogged along for about two miles then checked my Garmin and realized that my pace was over 11 min/mile. OMG! None of my excuses were legit so I had no choice but to pick it up. As I was running, I passed a man going the other way who had the perfect runner’s body – long, lean, muscular legs – picture a Lane girl with a penis. Seeing him forced me to confront the fact that my reduced exercise schedule coupled with the same (poor) eating habits have caused me to look remarkably like the Stay Puff marshmallow man. I picked up the pace a little more. By the time I finished four miles, I had an impressive negative split with an overall pace of 9:56 min/mile. And I was sweaty and out of breathe. Good stuff.
Wednesday: Richard is back!!!! He met me to bike at 6 a.m. I have to admit, I was a little cranky about getting up so early as always, but riding with Richard was a blast. I immediately tucked into his draft and cruised there pretty much the whole ride. Toward the end, I offered to lead. He gave me a look that said, “why bother now?” while he actually said, “that’s okay – it’s a short ride.” We rode 17 miles at 17.0 mph and discovered a great new route in the process.
Thursday: I planned to run, I really did. Beanie couldn’t join me again – our schedules were totally opposite last week. But I set my alarm and got my stuff ready the night before. When my alarm went off, Scouter looked at me and said, “You need some sleep.” I have been really really tired – this summer has been difficult sleep-wise because my kids have been staying up late and I’ve been attempting to get up early to exercise. It’s the only time I seem to be able to fit it in! Plus we didn’t get much sleep in WV last week. Once the babies woke up, my kids woke up and then it was full blast throughout each day! So anyway, on Thursday I lounged in bed for awhile. Taz woke up and we snuggled a bit. Finally at the last possible moment, I went up to our attic where Scouter keeps his weight equipment and fit in a little workout. It is amazing how much I hurt myself in 30 minutes! Granted, one must achieve a certain lack of fitness to experience these same results. I was trying to get as much exercise into a small amount of time as possible, so after a quick warm-up, I did supersets of squats, lunges, dead lifts, flies, reverse flies, static squat while doing shoulders and biceps, triceps, and abs. By that night, my pecs hurt and by the next day, my quads added their opinion to the mix. It was a good kind of pain and reminded me that I really need to get back on a normal weight lifting schedule. Once a month is probably not going to do it.
Friday: Yet again I had good intentions to run but this time they were derailed by an early morning meeting.
Saturday: I made up the Friday run and am particularly proud of myself because we were at the lake with friends (more on that later) and we stayed up late drinking margaritas the night before. I had a nice, flat four mile run at a smoking (for me) 9:06 min/mile pace. Later that day, I water skied for the first time in years – literally, I think I’ve skied one other time since college and I didn’t ski more than twice while I was in college, but I used to ski a lot as a kid. It was so fun that I didn’t want to stop! When I did, my hammies were quivering. The next day (and today), my upper back and shoulders were very vocal about how old ladies maybe shouldn’t attempt to water ski. I wouldn’t have listened but didn’t have the opportunity to go again anyway. Probably best for my ability to move today!
So this week, we’ll see whether I learned a lesson about the benefits of exercise or not. I’ve started out questionably with nothing on Sunday and a bike ride on Monday. Will there be another WWIR next week? We’ll all just have to wait and see…
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Last Weekend
After a crazy overcrowded week with Scouter's family - all of them - we spend a nice relaxing weekend in the mountains last weekend.
Friday, the kids and I were there without a car so we opted to walk to the pool. I thought it was about a mile but it actually was almost two. When we started out, the kids had a long conversation about how we should walk and bike more places to protect the environment. By the time we arrived, they were lamenting our lack of a car and asking if Daddy could come pick us up! And me without snacks or beverages... Several hours later, Scouter did come get us and there was much joy. Nonetheless, we had fun at the pool and made some new friends including a female triathlete from Northern Virginia who had seen the TriGirls in action at the Power Sprint and thought the group was awesome (which they are!).
Saturday we headed down to the farmer's market. Here's my bounty:
Good stuff! Taz chowed through the bread while Scouter particularly liked the blueberry pie. Rainbow most enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie which isn't pictured as she ate and shopped simultaneously.
Otherwise, we had a pretty lazy weekend. We were all exhausted. It was nice to relax, watch movies, and hang out.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Mommy of the Year
I tolerated the Wiggles. I even took my children to their concert at the Coliseum when they were toddlers.
I endured Barney.
I can even bear Spongebob and his annoying high pitched giggle.
But I absolutely positively cannot re-live Steve Erkle.
Did anyone else just shudder with horror?
I endured Barney.
I can even bear Spongebob and his annoying high pitched giggle.
But I absolutely positively cannot re-live Steve Erkle.
Did anyone else just shudder with horror?
Saturday, July 19, 2008
June
Yes I realize that I missed blogging about most of the month of June.
Highlights included Taz's birthday, my birthday, the end of school for my kids, a very brutal month of school for me, a fun trip to the river with Jennifer and a crazy assortment of TriGirls, the first year of swim team for my kids and Mite Minder duties for me, and who knows what else.
Also we had a very fun July 4th weekend with Beanie and familia in the mountains.
I had good intentions of catching up.
Not going to happen.
This is as good as it gets.
Highlights included Taz's birthday, my birthday, the end of school for my kids, a very brutal month of school for me, a fun trip to the river with Jennifer and a crazy assortment of TriGirls, the first year of swim team for my kids and Mite Minder duties for me, and who knows what else.
Also we had a very fun July 4th weekend with Beanie and familia in the mountains.
I had good intentions of catching up.
Not going to happen.
This is as good as it gets.
Mommy of the Year
Earlier today, Rainbow made a case that her stomach is actually divided into thirds. One third is able to hold "real food," one third holds water and milk, and the third and final third is reserved exclusively for dessert.
She made a compelling argument.
She is only six and exhibited a good grasp of nutrition and fractions. I was impressed.
So I gave her a popsicle. And a cookie.
She made a compelling argument.
She is only six and exhibited a good grasp of nutrition and fractions. I was impressed.
So I gave her a popsicle. And a cookie.
I lost my... ahem... bra in West Virginia
We just got home from Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia where we attended Scouter's family reunion.
Oglebay is beautiful. There are three 18 hole championship golf courses, a par 3, putt putt, swimming pools, paddle boats, riding stables, gardens, and I'm sure lots of other things that we didn't have time to experience.
There was also Scouter's immediate family sharing one very rustic cabin. Eleven adults, six kids. No dishwasher or garbage disposal. Very rudimentary cooking tools. No washer or dryer. Six bedrooms, three bathrooms. Scouter, Taz, Rainbow and I shared a room with two double beds.
One night, I dreamed that I was being attacked by a gang, thrown on the ground, and beaten. Then I woke up with Rainbow's finger in my eye and her foot on my jaw.
I'm soooo not exaggerating.
Cabin life was as fun as it sounds, with the added pleasure of a nine month old baby and his psycho schedule freak mom (Scouter's sister) who went crazy and yelled at anyone who dared breathe in the cabin after 7:30 p.m. when she put the baby to bed. She said we were the most inconsiderate people she had ever met. Then one of her other brothers loudly proclaimed that she was the biggest bitch he'd ever met.
Ironically, she is the only one who ever woke the baby - by slamming her bedroom door to make a point to the rest of us.
Plus a 14 month old with a fever.
Good times.
On the plus side, there were four more cabins filled with aunts, uncles and cousins who are (mostly) super cool. I first met Scouter's relatives 20 years ago when we started dating and it is great to see that all the cute little kids have grown into fun adults. His cousin Natalie was four when I met her - she was my favorite then and she is still my favorite today. Every time I see her (which is once every two years at most) we talk about how much we adored each other back then and still do today. We become more affectionate as we add more and more alcohol to the conversation. By the end of the night, we aren't pretty.
Scouter has a huge contingency of cousins from Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana whom I've never really spent much time with - until this week. Others are from Tennesee and Georgia. They are so much fun! We made big plans for road trips that I feel fairly certain will never actually happen.
Last Sunday, we had a big cookout with all the relatives. There were literally over 100 of us in attendance. Okay I really don't know... but it sure seemed like 100 or more. We got there at 11 a.m. and left at 11 p.m. - lunch, a lunch re-heat that we called dinner, a cornholio tournament and many cocktails.
I have no recollection of Monday. I have vague memories of the driving range and the stables.
It took a lot of wine to get through the week.
Tuesday, the family had a golf tournament. Scouter, Taz, two of Scouter's brothers and one of our nephews were on a team. They were defending champions and came in second this year.
Mid-morning, I got a call from one of Scouter's brothers asking (begging even) me to come up and help the beer-cousin drive the refreshment cart. She was going solo and apparently the boredom factor was high. She said she was leaving when we got there but ended up hanging with us. So Rainbow had her first experience delivering beers from a golf cart. She got ice cream and soda; we had some cocktails. I was ready for bed at 4 p.m.!
Wednesday, Scouter's cousin Michael arranged a couples' golf scramble. I haven't golfed in about 10 years so I was a little nervous, but we were paired with a cousin who had never golfed. The guys carried the team! I used to think that the women's tees were a totally chauvinistic idea; now they can't give me enough of an advantage. We hit from the golds and actually used some of my drives. Now I have a huge golf bug and can't wait to play again!
Thursday, we played the Par 3 and I totally stunk up the joint. Apparently I need a tee for every shot. Interestingly, the par 3 course is under the ski lifts so as you may imagine the front 9 was pretty easy downhills while the back 9 was a tough upward climb. Then the kids and I went to one of the pools with a giant water slide in the afternoon - tons of fun. My calves burned from all the uphill climbing.
I should mention that I impressed the masses by running on Tuesday morning (maybe Monday? It's all so fuzzy...) GD it is hilly in West Virginia.
We left late Thursday night (~ 9:30 p.m.) and drove through the night to get home. It was great for the kids and me as we slept most of the time but it had to totally suck for poor Scouter. We got here just before 4 a.m. I tried to wake myself up enough to drive but just couldn't do it.
Oh - and I really did lose my bra. It's not a very interesting story - Rainbow and I went from the horse stables to meet Taz and lots of cousins at the pool. We changed in the bathroom, then I swear I rolled my bra up in my clothes with all of our stuff... but later I couldn't find it anywhere. We went back to the pool and retraced our steps to no avail. I had to wear a sports bra for the last two days, which Rainbow found hysterically funny. Every time we were in a crowd, she kept asking me loudly why I was wearing a sports bra instead of a regular bra.
Oh yes my friends. Good times.
Oglebay is beautiful. There are three 18 hole championship golf courses, a par 3, putt putt, swimming pools, paddle boats, riding stables, gardens, and I'm sure lots of other things that we didn't have time to experience.
There was also Scouter's immediate family sharing one very rustic cabin. Eleven adults, six kids. No dishwasher or garbage disposal. Very rudimentary cooking tools. No washer or dryer. Six bedrooms, three bathrooms. Scouter, Taz, Rainbow and I shared a room with two double beds.
One night, I dreamed that I was being attacked by a gang, thrown on the ground, and beaten. Then I woke up with Rainbow's finger in my eye and her foot on my jaw.
I'm soooo not exaggerating.
Cabin life was as fun as it sounds, with the added pleasure of a nine month old baby and his psycho schedule freak mom (Scouter's sister) who went crazy and yelled at anyone who dared breathe in the cabin after 7:30 p.m. when she put the baby to bed. She said we were the most inconsiderate people she had ever met. Then one of her other brothers loudly proclaimed that she was the biggest bitch he'd ever met.
Ironically, she is the only one who ever woke the baby - by slamming her bedroom door to make a point to the rest of us.
Plus a 14 month old with a fever.
Good times.
On the plus side, there were four more cabins filled with aunts, uncles and cousins who are (mostly) super cool. I first met Scouter's relatives 20 years ago when we started dating and it is great to see that all the cute little kids have grown into fun adults. His cousin Natalie was four when I met her - she was my favorite then and she is still my favorite today. Every time I see her (which is once every two years at most) we talk about how much we adored each other back then and still do today. We become more affectionate as we add more and more alcohol to the conversation. By the end of the night, we aren't pretty.
Scouter has a huge contingency of cousins from Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana whom I've never really spent much time with - until this week. Others are from Tennesee and Georgia. They are so much fun! We made big plans for road trips that I feel fairly certain will never actually happen.
Last Sunday, we had a big cookout with all the relatives. There were literally over 100 of us in attendance. Okay I really don't know... but it sure seemed like 100 or more. We got there at 11 a.m. and left at 11 p.m. - lunch, a lunch re-heat that we called dinner, a cornholio tournament and many cocktails.
I have no recollection of Monday. I have vague memories of the driving range and the stables.
It took a lot of wine to get through the week.
Tuesday, the family had a golf tournament. Scouter, Taz, two of Scouter's brothers and one of our nephews were on a team. They were defending champions and came in second this year.
Mid-morning, I got a call from one of Scouter's brothers asking (begging even) me to come up and help the beer-cousin drive the refreshment cart. She was going solo and apparently the boredom factor was high. She said she was leaving when we got there but ended up hanging with us. So Rainbow had her first experience delivering beers from a golf cart. She got ice cream and soda; we had some cocktails. I was ready for bed at 4 p.m.!
Wednesday, Scouter's cousin Michael arranged a couples' golf scramble. I haven't golfed in about 10 years so I was a little nervous, but we were paired with a cousin who had never golfed. The guys carried the team! I used to think that the women's tees were a totally chauvinistic idea; now they can't give me enough of an advantage. We hit from the golds and actually used some of my drives. Now I have a huge golf bug and can't wait to play again!
Thursday, we played the Par 3 and I totally stunk up the joint. Apparently I need a tee for every shot. Interestingly, the par 3 course is under the ski lifts so as you may imagine the front 9 was pretty easy downhills while the back 9 was a tough upward climb. Then the kids and I went to one of the pools with a giant water slide in the afternoon - tons of fun. My calves burned from all the uphill climbing.
I should mention that I impressed the masses by running on Tuesday morning (maybe Monday? It's all so fuzzy...) GD it is hilly in West Virginia.
We left late Thursday night (~ 9:30 p.m.) and drove through the night to get home. It was great for the kids and me as we slept most of the time but it had to totally suck for poor Scouter. We got here just before 4 a.m. I tried to wake myself up enough to drive but just couldn't do it.
Oh - and I really did lose my bra. It's not a very interesting story - Rainbow and I went from the horse stables to meet Taz and lots of cousins at the pool. We changed in the bathroom, then I swear I rolled my bra up in my clothes with all of our stuff... but later I couldn't find it anywhere. We went back to the pool and retraced our steps to no avail. I had to wear a sports bra for the last two days, which Rainbow found hysterically funny. Every time we were in a crowd, she kept asking me loudly why I was wearing a sports bra instead of a regular bra.
Oh yes my friends. Good times.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Flat
Last August, when I was fitter than I am now (it's all relative), I raced the Luray Olympic. Or I should say, attempted to race. About two miles before the end of the bike, I had a flat tire and I had absolutely no idea what to do. I pulled my tools and my spare tube out of my bag then stood there helplessly until a guy stopped to help. He succeeded in pinching my spare tube, leaving me with two useless tubes, no intact tube, and no ability to help myself. I was near tears when the sag wagon stopped, provided a new tube, and changed my flat for me.
I swore that I would learn to change a flat tire on the off season so that never happened to me again.
Fast forward to last week...
Megan and I met on Wednesday at 6 a.m. to ride. I must admit that I was cranky about getting up that early and in fact I had a major sleep deficit and a wee bit of a red wine hangover. I pulled my bike off the rack and started pumping my front tire. I finished, pulled the pump off the tire, and heard the unmistakable sound of air escaping. At a rapid rate.
&^%$.
No, I had not learned to change a flat nor even thought about it much since last August.
Megan looked at my sympathetically and inquired if I wanted to bag the whole thing. In fact I did but hell, I was already awake and dressed so I may as well try. I told her we could see how it went. I must admit I wasn't at all hopeful.
I pulled out my tools and my spare and proceeded to cram the tools into the side of the tire to get it out. Success! And much surprise. Megan and I looked at each other and both thought, hey that wasn't so bad. She is not a tire changing master either, but between the two of us we figured out how to get the old tube out and the new tube in. Then came what I feared would be my downfall - getting the tire back on the rim. We worked the tools, hit a few rough spots but in general it went on pretty easily. We looked at each other in amazement. I feared that we had done something wrong and circled the parking lot, but all was well. My speedometer even worked. We headed out and with limited time, only rode 12 miles. But still.
Sometimes, I amaze myself.
I swore that I would learn to change a flat tire on the off season so that never happened to me again.
Fast forward to last week...
Megan and I met on Wednesday at 6 a.m. to ride. I must admit that I was cranky about getting up that early and in fact I had a major sleep deficit and a wee bit of a red wine hangover. I pulled my bike off the rack and started pumping my front tire. I finished, pulled the pump off the tire, and heard the unmistakable sound of air escaping. At a rapid rate.
&^%$.
No, I had not learned to change a flat nor even thought about it much since last August.
Megan looked at my sympathetically and inquired if I wanted to bag the whole thing. In fact I did but hell, I was already awake and dressed so I may as well try. I told her we could see how it went. I must admit I wasn't at all hopeful.
I pulled out my tools and my spare and proceeded to cram the tools into the side of the tire to get it out. Success! And much surprise. Megan and I looked at each other and both thought, hey that wasn't so bad. She is not a tire changing master either, but between the two of us we figured out how to get the old tube out and the new tube in. Then came what I feared would be my downfall - getting the tire back on the rim. We worked the tools, hit a few rough spots but in general it went on pretty easily. We looked at each other in amazement. I feared that we had done something wrong and circled the parking lot, but all was well. My speedometer even worked. We headed out and with limited time, only rode 12 miles. But still.
Sometimes, I amaze myself.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
I forgot the best part!
So TriGirl40 and I biked last Wednesday morning - great ride, amazing company, beautiful morning - and as we were nearing the end, this old guy on a bike popped out of a side street. He was stopped but when he saw us coming, he jumped on his bike and cut literally right in front of us. We looked at each other and rolled our eyes. A few seconds later, we zipped past him and I must admit, we chuckled to ourselves.
"What a jerk," TG40 thought.
"What a jackass," I said. (She's much nicer than me, you know.)
Well lo and behold, a few miles later, Old Guy passed us. I was annoyed. I pedaled with all my might but I have to admit that Old Guy kicked my ass on the hills. "I'd love to pass him," I called back to TG40.
She pulled up beside me with a mischievous grin. "Shall we?" she inquired.
"Do it!" I replied, knowing full well that she could take him and that I'd been holding her back for the entire ride.
The words were not even all the way out of my mouth before she had bridged half the distance between us and him. Mere moments later, she streaked past him like a blur. I chuckled to see his neck jerk around from my vantage point.
You go, girl!
"What a jerk," TG40 thought.
"What a jackass," I said. (She's much nicer than me, you know.)
Well lo and behold, a few miles later, Old Guy passed us. I was annoyed. I pedaled with all my might but I have to admit that Old Guy kicked my ass on the hills. "I'd love to pass him," I called back to TG40.
She pulled up beside me with a mischievous grin. "Shall we?" she inquired.
"Do it!" I replied, knowing full well that she could take him and that I'd been holding her back for the entire ride.
The words were not even all the way out of my mouth before she had bridged half the distance between us and him. Mere moments later, she streaked past him like a blur. I chuckled to see his neck jerk around from my vantage point.
You go, girl!
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