Archive for May, 2009

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Things that make you go “hmmmm”

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

It seems as though no goal setting leads to lots of randomness. Meandering, if you will.

Paul and I took Tyler [Anna was at riding lessons w Robin] mountain bike riding today. Let’s just say he get’s his skill from Paul. Being the southern gentleman he is (really, Biz!!), Paul only once uttered, “C’mon Susan–a 5 year-old can do it!” Tyler liked it, but got thirsty (we had already hiked 3.5 miles that morning).

Paul demonstrates a wheelie (or heelie as T calls it)

Tyler on his first trail ride Me not soiling my pants

Birthday month continues… I did get my Cold Stone treat this week. I ordered the wrong thing though. Cake Shake is what I wanted, I got some other cake thing. But cake batter is NEVER bad so I didn’t really feel that sorry for myself. Paul also made my FAVORITE cookies of all time–Oatmeal Scotchies from my mom’s recipe. I ate most of them over the past 5 days, including the rest of the dough Friday for breakfast. This week my treat will be returning to strength training classes at the gym, plus a pool trip w the kids, mountain biking w or w/out kids, and a long ride on Saturday. Paul and I have plans for birthday week proper. He has done most of the planning: June 18: NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me will be taping in Chapel Hill and Paul bought us tix for my birthday; June 19: we are taking the day off (open water swim anyone!!) and going to see the Connells (rockin’ band) play in Chapel Hill that night w his friend Jay; June 20: The Ride–it is called the Triple Hump–9,000 feet of climbing over 3 mountains in 63 miles. I have made 2 of the 3 before. I have attempted the 3rd, but cried 1/3 way up. I will make this as a 35 year-old.

Paul resurrected his “1,000 Mexican Recipes” book for tonight’s dinner. He made us Sangria w the last bottle of wine from our wedding, homemade pico de gallo (from his head, not the cook book), avacado and tomatillo sauce for the grilled chicken, and horchata. Horchata is a dessert-like drink I originally had a surf camp in Mexico in 2007.  Tyler is a HUGE fan (we had it in Boone after the bust of a camping trip) so we are making it for him. You have to soak rice for an hour so we will have it ready next time they come (Tuesday night).  All of this food makes me love him even more!

I also have an upgrade for my Memory Manager software. I am sitting here in the kitchen while Paul cooks and we listen to music on the stereo. This software will allow me to share pix w others w this version (hi, Lauren!!!). It also interfaces better w my scrapbooking software so I am pretty excited!

We did some yard work today too. Since we are broker than broke, we planted more food. I had to take a nap (see above, 5 year-old kicks my butt) so Paul stopped at Southern States after dropping Tyler at Robin’s. He accidentally bought “bundles” of tomatoes. Each bundle is about 20 tomato plants. Oops. We planted one bundle, MORE cilantro, basil, thyme, serrano chiles to compliment the oregano and 3 tomato plants we already had.

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Birthday month fun and other randomness!

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

My name is Susan, I am about to be 35 and I still celebrate my birthday for a whole month! Week 1—shopped a little bit. Week 2–going to Cold Stone Creamery for a treat. Week 3–not sure yet beyond that. I am hoping for a niece for my actual birthday. We will see if younger siblings really always do get what they want!!!

I uploaded some photos of family randomness.

Goals–yes, I have quit setting them, but I did already set the goal to mountain bike this year. CHECK!!! We went last night and tonight and will go tomorrow night. I cried twice last night and wiped out pretty bad (scraped and bruised leg to prove it!). Tonight was MUCH better! Paul just decided to take me to the toughest trail in Greensboro for my first time last night.

Work had been difficult at best. I had a wonderful review and received the maximum raise. Although raises are frozen for management (which includes me). I had to eliminate a position and I had that meeting w the person and the staff today. I cried again. Paul made me cheese grits though and it helped.

K, that’s about it. We are up WAY past our bedtime! G’night!

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Weekend Full Of Cycling

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

On this long weekend we spent a lot of time on our bikes. Saturday we went to Hanging Rock to ride with Bryan and Tamara. Because this was Bryan and Tamara’s first time riding in the mountains we decided to ride the 22 mile route to the top of Sauratown Mountain and back up Hanging rock instead of doing the entire 63 mile Hanging Rock Triple Hump which also adds in Pilot Mountain. This turned out to be a good decisions because I am pretty sure that my body would be laying dead somewhere in the woods right now if would have taken them up Pilot also. On top of the extra distance Pilot is the steepest of the three.

There are a lot of rolling hills on the roads between Hanging Rock and Sauratown and as we were getting close to Sauratown I told them that the climb would be starting soon and I got a few worried faces since what we had already done was not considered climbing. The climb up Saurtown is around 3 miles with the second half of the climb being much steeper than the first half. I had warned them about this before we got on the climb, but as soon as we rounded one of the corners where you can see the grade go up I heard Bryan saying “Oh man!”. Everyone made it to the top and at that point Bryan and Tamara weren’t so excited about doing the second climb. Luckily we had parked at the top of Hanging Rock so I was able to tell them if they wanted a ride back home they had to get to the car :) . Once you get off the top half of Sauratown it is a really easy decent without any real curves but right in the top third of the mount there is  a really tricky switch back corner that I had warned everyone to be real careful through. Susan and I made it down the mountain first with Tamara right behind us. Bryan showed up several minutes later with a few tears in his eyes because he had scared himself so bad through that corner ;) .

On paper Sauratown is the harder of the two climbs but Hanging Rock always feels much harder to me (even when I do it first). Susan and I have ridden there several times and she thinks the same thing. Apparently we aren’t the only ones because Bryan and Tamara both about died on that climb. Bryan got so tired and wobbly that he went off the road at one point and decided that since he was already stopped he would take a quick break. Tamara said she wanted to stop but couldn’t get her foot out of her peddle so she just kept going (a good thing for her since it is very hard to get started on a hill like that). In the end we all made it and had a great time.  OK, that was my take on Saturday…here is Tamara’s http://memosandlovenotes.blogspot.com/2009/05/mountain-climber.html.

Sunday we went on a ride with the Blues that was suppose to be a easy 35 mile ride. None of us had done this ride before but we had a queue sheet so no problem. We took off and all went well at first. Eventually it started raining and then there were a couple places in the queue sheet that were wrong. In the end our 35 mile spin turned into a wet 50 mile ride. Fifty miles wouldn’t have been a problem if we had brought enough food for a ride like that but we didn’t so added in with our ride from the day before I was starving by the time we got done.

Sunday’s ride was a much more relaxed ride. We were going out for a walk with the kids and Tyler wanted Susan to ride her bike with him. Anna knows how to ride but has always been scared to and would never do it so I was going to walk with her. All the sudden before we left she decided that she was going to ride also. We rode all around the neighborhood and Anna did great. She has outgrown her bike so she had a little trouble with banging her knees on the handle bars but she was excited to be riding.

Monday morning Susan had be at work early and the kids and I slept in. I slept until 7, Tyler slept until 7:30 and Anna got up at 8. Normally I am up by 5:30 or 6 and Tyler is also so Susan wanted to know why we can’t do that when she is there. As soon as Anna got up she wanted to go out for a ride again. We rode around for a long time and Anna was asking for a bigger bike. I told her we could go to the bike store and look but that we couldn’t get one right now (I couldn’t pass up a opportunity to go to the bike shop :) ). They had a couple of bikes that would be good for her and of course she wanted the more expensive of the two. Of course now she has her heart set on the bike so it should be fun until we are able to get one for her.

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Vote For Land

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

The Great Outdoor Provision Company is taking votes for their annual “vote for land” right now. The winner gets a $3000 grant for land conservation. Last year the Piedmont Land Conservancy was the winner, which is here in Greensboro. This year I am hoping Wilson Creek wins since I have spent a lot of time there.  You can cast your vote here.

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It Was A Dark And Stormy Night…AGAIN

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Back in October Susan and I tried to take the kids “camping” in our back yard.  It ended up raining the entire time and we had to go inside around 2 a.m. because we were soaked. Fast forward to the past Saturday and we were in about the same situation. This time we drove the kids up to Wilson’s Creek in the mountains, and they were so excited about going. When we got there it was cloudy but there was no rain so we were hoping for the best.

When we first got there Susan and I were getting our stuff ready and the kids found a little puddle that was full of tadpoles. They had a blast catching them and letting them go. Once we got things ready we went off into the woods and were having fun. We got to where we wanted to camp and I set up the tent while the kids played in the river and caught more tadpoles. Then all the sudden the rain started. It was pouring so the kids and Susan crawled in the tent while I finished getting things ready. After a few minutes the rain stopped and I started getting ready to cook dinner. Of course the rain started back after a quick break and this time even harder than before. I got in the tent with them and we played in there for a little while, but at this time it was starting to get late so we had to make a decision on if we were going to stay or leave before it got dark. At about 6:30 we made the decision to go home. The rain had gotten a little lighter. If it was just Susan and me we would have stayed but we were pretty sure things were going to get wet inside with that much rain and didn’t want the kids cold and wet.

When we opened up the tent to get out there was basically a river running straight under the tent from up the hill because of all the rain. We decided then that we made the right decision because there was no way the tent was going to hold all that water out. Luckily when we got out the rain stopped…only to start back in full force when we made it back to the car.

We were able to get the kids to leave without much of a fight with the promise that we would stop and get Mexican food for dinner. Anna was hungry and wanted me to somehow go out in the pouring rain to start a fire and cook her dinner so she was OK with going. Tyler was a little more reluctant but agreed. So we drove into Boone and had dinner with two tired kids (by the time we got everything packed up, hiked out and drove to dinner it was about 8:30) which is always fun. As soon as we got in the car after dinner the kids were out and we drove home. We made it home around 11:30 which is EXTREAMLY late for Susan and me. At this point the kids probably think that camping means you go out, set up a tent, it rains a lot while you sit inside for a while and then you pack up and go home. Hopefully we will be able to get out again soon and actually make it through the night without bad weather.

To make things worse, by Sunday the rain had made it to Greensboro and it had also gotten colder so our 50 ride with friends that afternoon got cancelled. We are both tired of the rain now and ready for some nice weather!

P.S. – We took pictures and I will post some as soon as I have a chance to get them off the camera.

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New SC Law Bike, Where Is NC?

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

I saw this on Bike Rumor and want to know where NC and other states are with a law like this.  It would be great, assuming they actually enforce it.

Just got this from George Hincapie’s Twitter Stream:

“1000 dollar fine here in SC for any motorist that harasses, taunts, or maliciously throws objects at direction of cyclist. Great new law.”

Can’t seem to find anything on this online yet, so must be hot off the presses.  The $1,000 fine is an increase from the original $250 fine in a SC law passed in 2008 that contained an Anti-Harassment Clause stating any motorist who harasses a bicyclist, such as by taunting or maliciously throwing an object, could be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, be fined not less than $250, or be imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both.

In an older Post & Courier article, Attorney Peter Wilborn of www.scbikelaw.com notes that the old law didn’t make that a crime and adds, “Now, get the tag number, call the police and file a criminal complaint against those drivers who ‘harass, taunt or maliciously throw an object’ at you. The jerks can go to jail whether they hit you or not. An injury or crash is not a requirement for prosecution.”

We’ll post more as we get it.

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Posted in Cycling | 2 Comments »

Safe Routes To School

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

I got this email from the League of American Bicyclist and think it is a great idea.  If you click here it takes you to the web page and they have set it up where can send a email supporting it right on the web site.

Please Contact Senator Burr (R-NC) Today
Regarding Co-Sponsoring the Safe Routes to School

Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina is considering becoming a lead co-sponsor on legislation to reauthorize the federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program.  The bill would expand funding for SRTS to $600 million per year, include high schools, simplify regulatory compliance to improve project delivery, and strengthen research and evaluation.  All of these changes will make SRTS grants more widely available, and help more North Carolina schools and communities make it safer for children to walk and bicycle to school and get into healthier, greener habits.

But, to get Senator Burr on board as a champion for SRTS, we need your help. The Senator needs to hear from his constituents in North Carolina that they value SRTS and would like to see the program grow as part of the next transportation bill.

As a North Carolina resident that cares about Safe Routes to School, we hope you will take just a few moments to follow the steps below and express your support for SRTS.  Time is of the essence – please take this action TODAY-or at the latest, this week.

After you have taken action please send a quick email to Margo Pedroso, Policy Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership at margo@saferoutespartnership.org to let us know that you submitted a comment to the Senator.  Include your name and contact information so that we can collect the list of supporters and share them with the Senator’s staff.

Thank you so much for your assistance – with your help hopefully Senator Burr will become a champion for Safe Routes to School!

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Call For New Projects

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Susan has had several home improvement projects that she has wanted to do lately and I am really starting to like these projects. We had a tree fall recently that we needed to cut up and some more trees that she wanted to cut down. Out of this I was able to get a new chainsaw.  For a long time now she has wanted to put up some loft storage in the garage which we did last weekend.  Out of this project I got a new cordless drill.

Now I am looking for new projects to do around the house so I can get some more tools :) . Right now I have a couple tools in mind that I would like and I am sure I can find more. I want a torque wrench for working on the bikes (I may be able to get this one without a house project).  For the loft project we borrowed the Blue’s electric stud finder/laser level and I really liked it. If anyone has any ideas for projects that can get me these tools, or any other cool tools you can think of, let me know.

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Posted in Home Improvement | 3 Comments »

Good Choice This Weeked

Monday, May 11th, 2009

This past weekend Susan and I made the hard decision not to do the White Lake Half Iron distance race. Now that the weekend is over I think we made a good decision. I left work early on Friday and did a 44 mile ride and have started building back some fitness after being off so long sick. Susan went to the doctor Friday and he gave her some antibiotics and told her to get some rest. She did a lot of sleeping Friday and Saturday, and by Sunday she was sounding much better. Sunday morning she was feeling good enough that she wanted to go for a ride. We took it easy and she still isn’t 100% but she is headed in the right direction now.

With me just getting back and Susan being sick I am not sure if either of us would have finished the race. Skipping the race allowed me to get in some easy training and get some work done around the house. It also allowed Susan time to sleep and get better. Even though I wish we could have done the race I think we made the right choice. Now the goal is to get Susan 100% as soon as possible. We have our first ride in the mountain planned for Saturday the 23rd. Her asthma gives her a hard enough time in the mountains without a cold.

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The Best Mother’s Day EVER

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

Awhile ago I typed out what my ideal day was for a thing on Facebook. Today pretty much fulfilled that. I got to sleep in, Paul made my favorite breakfast (from a recipe of my mom’s) while I cleaned out and organized our garage post-project (more on that in a minute). We rode bikes and did some yard work. We ate Mexican food on the patio on a gorgeous Carolina day w no clouds. I talked to my mom and hung out w Paul’s family, then friends of Paul’s stopped by. Shortly after we got home from dinner in Asheboro, Anna and Tyler were dropped off. They both made me cards that were so cute. Anna made me a bracelet of various color beads and had a poem about what the colors mean. Tyler had a picture he drew framed for me. Wow. It is my first Mother’s Day and I just don’t think it can be topped.

About our home improvement project…Usually I hear about couples arguing constantly over home improvement projects. Ours made me love Paul even more! I have seen Lance Armstrong side (cocky athlete), Martha Stewart side (cook EXTRAORDINAIRE!), work side (too smart for most ppl’s good), but to see the Bob Vila side, WOW! You can see the photos of him working (I really did just stand around most of the time like I predicted in my previous post) by clicking here. I was drawing 3D pictures and trying to get exact measurements and things. He had the whole thing in his brain for months and executed the plan perfectly! We only made 1 trip to Home Depot–the initial trip! THAT has to be a record!

Also at that link are some photos of chillin and grillin at Paul’s mom’s house for Mother’s Day. Healthwise…I am feeling much healthier and more ready to start the work week than I have been in a long time.

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Posted in Family, Holiday, Home Improvement | 1 Comment »

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